Micah Richards has now asserted a bold prediction about William Saliba whilst he and Gary Lineker offered lavish praise for what the Arsenal defender is giving the Gunners.
The 22-year-old has captivated Richards and Lineker with his elite performances at Emirates Stadium over the past two seasons. Saliba returned to north London in the summer of 2022 from a third spell away on loan in three years and, finally, secured a spot in the Arsenal team.
Saliba signed for Arsenal under Unai Emery back in July 2019 when the Gunners paid Saint-Etienne a fee of £27m. But their deal saw him stay with Les Verts for the 2019/20 season. He then arrived in north London to find Mikel Arteta in charge and without a spot awaiting him.
Saliba became impossible for Arteta to ignore whilst away from Arsenal
Arteta initially kept Saliba at Arsenal but did not afford the centre-half any first-team games. Instead, he had to settle for eight Under-23 appearances before sealing a loan move to OGC Nice. Marseille then agreed a season-long loan deal with Arsenal for the 2021/22 campaign.
Moving to the Stade Velodrome saw Saliba explode and his potential became impossible to ignore. The Bondy-born brute showed a strong ability in his duels with great pace to get his France debut before his Arsenal bow. Didier Deschamps first unleashed him in March 2022.
Arteta would finally give Saliba his chance at Arsenal after showing immense potential with Marseille. And he has not regretted that decision with the 10-cap enforcer becoming a vital cog at Emirates Stadium. Saliba is firmly amongst the Gunners’ most important players now.
Linker praises the Arsenal ace Richards predicts will reach the ‘very top’
Arsenal lose much of their defensive strength without Saliba, who seldom puts a foot wrong in north London. Richards even feels Saliba is consistently improving and has now outlined a bold prediction that the 6 ft 3 star could become one of the best centre-halves in the world.
“I’d like to start with Saliba. He is just getting better and better,” Richards said on The Rest is Football. To which, Lineker responded: “He is a player, isn’t he? So good.”
Richards continued with his praise for the Arsenal ace, too, adding about Saliba: “To think he wasn’t in the plans a couple of years ago. Went on loan, went about his business, come back into the team.
“He’s so assured on the ball, his positioning is getting better, he is so strong, so fast [and he] leads by example. He is just great. He is like a young Rio Ferdinand, that’s what I would say.
“He has all the capabilities to be the very best in the world. [Virgil] van Dijk had that for a while. Ruben Dias, as well, over the last couple of seasons has been magnificent.
“And then Saliba is the one who could really challenge for that number one spot if he continues to improve and do the right things and play in a competitive team, which Arsenal are. I think he is going right to the very top.”
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