William Saliba has revealed that he has been so impressed by Arsenal’s defensive recruitment over the last couple of years.
Mikel Arteta, along with the Kroenke family, has built one of the most impressive sets of defensive options in European football.
Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are the most feared defensive partnership in the Premier League, and they have the likes of Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera backing them up.
Which of Arsenal’s top U23 defenders will go on to have the best career? 👀
Mikel Arteta is spoilt for choice!
Therefore, it’s no wonder that Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals in both the Premier League and Champions League this season.
In Europe, the Gunners have a remarkable defensive record, with FC Bayern’s Lennart Karl the only player to breach their defence in the competition.
Saliba has now been speaking about why Arsenal’s defence has become so strong, and he has credited the work behind the scenes by the club.
William Saliba has been so impressed by Arsenal’s defensive recruitment
William Saliba has been so impressed by Arsenal’s defensive recruitment, and the quality of each player has helped the team to become so good at preventing goals.
Andrea Berta has helped continue the good work being done by the North London club, having been the man who brought Mosquera and Hincapie to N5.
Mosquera and Hincapie have both stepped up, whilst Saliba and Gabriel have been sidelined, and the duo appear to have huge potential.
Speaking about the quality of Arsenal’s defenders, Saliba told www.Arsenal.com: “They just click quickly because we are all good and we all understand each other.
“It’s not easy, you have to pick the right players, and I think the board and the people at the club have done a good job to sign some good defenders and good players.”
Fill the gaps: If I were Arsenal manager, I’d sign ______ in January because ________.
Arsenal’s defensive injuries continue to grow 😩!
The big problem facing Arsenal right now is defensive injuries and limited time for Arteta to work with Arsenal’s defenders during training, with most sessions being centred around recovery.
This has impacted the likes of Saliba, Hincapie and Timber in having time to build connections and be handed instructions on the training pitch.
Andrea Berta needs to sign another defender for Arsenal in January
But the work on the back line cannot stop, with Berta needing to sign another defender for Arsenal in the January transfer window.
The Gunners’ defence has been decimated by injuries throughout the season, and their remaining options have looked rather leggy recently.
Ben White suffered a hamstring injury against Wolves after starting three games in a row, having only just returned to action himself.
The standard of defending at Arsenal has taken a hit in recent weeks, with the squad’s limited options being forced to work extra hard.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
