Rio Ferdinand says defender who left Arsenal on a free was actually better than William Saliba

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Several world-class players have played for Arsenal over the years.

The Gunners are one of the biggest clubs on the planet. They are a global brand and are well-respected by everyone in the game.

From the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry to modern-day stars like Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, Arsenal have always had great players.

Saliba is one of the best players in the world right now, and he even has the potential to become Arsenal’s greatest defender of all time.

However, Rio Ferdinand feels he’s currently not as good as one central defender who joined and left Arsenal on a free transfer many years ago.

Rio Ferdinand issues verdict on William Saliba vs Sol Campbell debate

Sol Campbell is an Arsenal legend.

The Englishman became a hero after he left Tottenham Hotspur and moved to Highbury on a free transfer in the summer of 2001.

Campbell was one of the best defenders in the world at the time and Arsene Wenger made him even better. He was unbelievable at Arsenal in his first few years there.

The now 50-year-old won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a Community Shield as a Gunner before leaving the club on a free transfer in 2006.

Saliba, in a way, is the modern-day Campbell at Arsenal. He is their best defender and one of the first names on Mikel Arteta’s team sheet every week.

On Rio Ferdinand’s latest podcast, his brother Anton claimed that Saliba is already better than Campbell was all those years ago.

The Manchester United legend disagreed and said: “Saliba just looks better, but I don’t know if he’s (better than Sol Campbell).

“If I was picking a defender to be in the Premier League, Sol, man! I think Saliba, in time, if he keeps progressing, he can be anything.”

The one thing Saliba needs to do at Arsenal to become better than Campbell

Saliba is a truly world-class defender – nobody can debate that.

A strong argument can be made that he is the best centre-half in the world right now and has been for over two years.

However, there is a big hurdle that the France international needs to get past – trophies!

Saliba is yet to win a major trophy with Arsenal, and until he does that, people will refuse to put him on the same pedestal as the likes of Campbell, John Terry, Ferdinand and Virgil van Dijk.

However, we truly believe that Saliba will get his hands on either the Premier League or the Champions League or both at Arsenal in the very near future.