Marli Salmon is one of Arsenal’s brightest young talents.
The teenager has come through the club’s academy and has even been given a few opportunities in the first team.
Salmon’s potential is massive, and he has all the traits you would want in a young defender to make it at the highest level.
Now, Arsenal could sign a player who will elevate him even more – John Stones.
How do you think John Stones would fare at Arsenal in place of the injured William Saliba?
John Stones could help Marli Salmon become a superstar at Arsenal
Arsenal are in the market for a new centre-back this summer.
William Saliba will be out for an extended period of time after aggravating his back injury, and the Gunners need a replacement for their star centre-back.
Having recently left Manchester City and become a free agent, Stones has emerged as a target for Arsenal to fill that void.
You could debate whether he would be a good signing to replace Saliba, but what is a guarantee is the impact he will have on young players.
Stones joined Everton as a teenager, established himself at the top level at Goodison Park, secured a move to Manchester City and became one of the biggest reasons why Pep Guardiola was so successful. He has been brilliant for England as well.
Marli Salmon’s aim in the coming years will be to achieve exactly what Stones did at City, so who better to learn from than the man himself?
Yes, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are great mentors too, but having a fellow Englishman guide you, having already done it himself, could prove to be an absolute game-changer.
For that reason, along with his ability on the pitch, we think signing Stones would be a no-brainer, especially on a free transfer.
Who should replace William Saliba at Arsenal if his injury rules him out for months?
Marli Salmon will have a chance to impress in Arsenal’s pre-season
The Arsenal players are back at the Sobha Realty Training Centre for pre-season.
Those who represented their nations at the World Cup are still on holiday, but most others, including youngsters like Salmon and Max Dowman, are in training.
Arsenal’s first game is scheduled to be against Girona on the first day of August, and we won’t be surprised at all if Salmon gets some minutes at the back.
That will be the youngster’s chance to impress and make his mark ahead of the start of the new season. If he does, he could well be in Mikel Arteta’s first-team thoughts, more than he was last season.
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