Thierry Henry says one star Arsenal made a ‘mistake’ on is now ‘the best’ in the PL

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After a dramatic late win against Luton Town, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has now been singing the praises of one defender.

Henry was covering the Arsenal game for Amazon Prime Video and was discussing several good performances against Luton after the match. 

And when he got onto the subject of William Saliba, Henry actually thought Arsenal had made a mistake in the past.

As well as now declaring Saliba as the best defender in the Premier League, the pundit questioned a previous decision to send him out on loan.

Henry said: “The way he can defend a 1v1, the way he allows Arsenal to stay higher [up the pitch] and defend the 45-50 yards behind him is second to none. 

“His speed, the way he recovers, and when he recovers the ball he doesn’t just kick it into the stands – he tries to get it back [to his teammates] which is important.

“I was working in France when he was on loan to Marseille [in 2021/22] and I was surprised that Arsenal didn’t keep him because I thought he was better than what we had.

“But he went on loan and he came back and he showed everybody that that was a mistake and now he’s now the best defender in the league.”

Thierry Henry declared Arsenal’s William Saliba the best in the PL after Luton win

Of course, it’s certainly interesting to hear Henry’s perspective. 

Saliba’s loan back to France is often considered a vital one, a move that helped him prepare for the tests he’d face in England.

Although, Henry is probably correct in suggesting that Arsenal did have worse options in-house at the time.

However, the long game has clearly paid dividends for Arsenal, who do now have one of the world’s best at the age of 22.

Henry seemed incredibly impressed with Arsenal as a whole against Luton, even if they did suffer some scary moments.

And with Mikel Arteta’s side now five points clear at the top of the Premier League before tonight’s fixtures, a title challenge is now underway once again.

Perhaps last year’s shortcomings will now serve in Arsenal’s favour, a squad that has now experienced the pressure before. 

And although there were many positives to take, things don’t see to have improved for one £24m Arsenal player.