William Saliba

[Stobzilla]

He will be gone next season, he is probably in line for a good season and I can see a situation where PSG chase him next summer as he comes into the last year of his deal.

 

[SoCross]

Does the 2nd point not help explain the 1st?

It would but he was loaned out despite being better than your other CB options.

Anyway doesn’t matter now, the boy is back with you. For now.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

Think he’s a massive talent, should run down his contract and join the other French talents at RM

 

[the_cliff]

Brilliant player, it's a bit wild how Arteta spent 50m on Ben White when he had this gem the whole time.

Yesterday is the first time I've seen him play but I can confidently say he's probably the only Arsenal player that lives up to the hype put on him by his own fans.

Only problem for Arsenal is the longer they leave that contract renewal, the more clubs will be whispering in his agents ear.

 

[Bojan Djordjic]

Should we declare him the best CB in the world already then?

Huh? Weird response. Who's saying he's best in the world? Definitely has that potential though imho.

 

[izec]

He will be gone next season, he is probably in line for a good season and I can see a situation where PSG chase him next summer as he comes into the last year of his deal.

Kimpembe and Ramos might leave, so perfect for him to go there and pair up with Marquinhos

 

[TheReligion]

Huh? Weird response. Who's saying he's best in the world? Definitely has that potential though imho.

Not really. I said let’s wait and see how he gets on against top forwards before getting carried away with him being like Rio and a top class CB.

You suggested he’s already done it?

 

[MUnchies]

That still remains to be seen. He will compete against Fofana, Kounde, Varane, Konate, and Upamecano.

What’s this hype with Fofana all of a sudden. Guy hasn’t even played senior international football once but yet Salina will have to compete with him? Saliba already has 5 senior international caps.

Stop hyping players for no reason at all. What’s wrong with you guys? Do you even watch football or just go with what the internet says.

 

[El Jefe]

He looked really really impressive but it's important not to get carried away after one PL game.

I remember how this place looked at the beginning of the 2011/12 season. You couldn't tell us Jones and Smalling weren't the new and possibly improved version of Rio and Vidic.

 

[Stadjer]

What’s this hype with Fofana all of a sudden. Guy hasn’t even played senior international football once but yet Salina will have to compete with him? Saliba already has 5 senior international caps.

Stop hyping players for no reason at all. What’s wrong with you guys? Do you even watch football or just go with what the internet says.

All of a sudden? Did you not watch football and notice Fofana was playing really well before he had his major injury? Without that he would likely have played for France by now.

 

[Lincm]

All of a sudden? Did you not watch football and notice Fofana was playing really well before he had his major injury? Without that he would likely have played for France by now.

Fofana and Saliba were team mates at St Etienne. Saliba was thought to have higher potential and left a year before Fofana did. In fact Arsenal did consider buying Fofana at one point, so did West Ham. Ultimately he went to Leicester and that worked out for him.

Not that Fofana isn't good and won't potentially grow better. He definitely showed quality before being injured. But was he close to being at the national team level? All these ifs and buts scenarios mean nothing as comparisons. Fact is this is what has happened in reality. Saliba excelled and got brought into the National Team.

 

[Stadjer]

Fofana and Saliba were team mates at St Etienne. Saliba was thought to have higher potential and left a year before Fofana did. In fact Arsenal did consider buying Fofana at one point, so did West Ham. Ultimately he went to Leicester and that worked out for him.

Not that Fofana isn't good and won't potentially grow better. He definitely showed quality before being injured. But was he close to being at the national team level? All these ifs and buts scenarios mean nothing as comparisons. Fact is this is what has happened in reality. Saliba excelled and got brought into the National Team.

I dont know Saliba very well since i dont follow the French league but my response was more that Fofana was made out as a hype. Fofana was excellent in the Premier League before his injury and i remember him being mentioned here and named amongst the best defenders in the league. I dont think it would be impossible to suggest that without injuries he, despite their insane depth at that position, would have played a game for the national team for France by now.

Fofana has shown that he is an excellent player and not just some hype. Fofana mentioned as a potential France defender is really not worth calling people out for watching no football or just following things they read on the internet.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

What’s this hype with Fofana all of a sudden. Guy hasn’t even played senior international football once but yet Salina will have to compete with him? Saliba already has 5 senior international caps.

Stop hyping players for no reason at all. What’s wrong with you guys? Do you even watch football or just go with what the internet says.

Yeah, strange comment. Fofana looked very good before his injury.

 

[JPRouve]

Fofana and Saliba were team mates at St Etienne. Saliba was thought to have higher potential and left a year before Fofana did. In fact Arsenal did consider buying Fofana at one point, so did West Ham. Ultimately he went to Leicester and that worked out for him.

Not that Fofana isn't good and won't potentially grow better. He definitely showed quality before being injured. But was he close to being at the national team level? All these ifs and buts scenarios mean nothing as comparisons. Fact is this is what has happened in reality. Saliba excelled and got brought into the National Team.

They were both high potential players and there wasn't a clear hierarchy in terms of potential. Saliba wasn't seen as a higher potential player but he bloomed earlier while Fofana outperformed him the following season.

 

[Kill3r7]

Always been a strange one with Saliba. You’ve been crying out for a decent CB and everybody seemed to know how talented he was yet Arsenal kept loaning him out.

Looks to be a good player though I agree.

Goes to show how much a successful series of loans can help a player develop both physically and tactically. He is in a much better position to succeed at Arsenal today than if had he played sparingly over the last two years in the PL.

 

[MUnchies]

All of a sudden? Did you not watch football and notice Fofana was playing really well before he had his major injury? Without that he would likely have played for France by now.

Yeah he had one good solid season so now he’s worth 80 million and better than Saliba? Who won the ligue 1 young player of the year.

Yeah, strange comment. Fofana looked very good before his injury.

So? A lot of defenders have looked very good in the premier league and they were not generational talents or worth 80 million. Looking very good for one season doesn’t mean feck all.

He was never recognized as a special talent in France reason why he never made any youth appearances till 2020 for the U21 after his first good season at Leicester. Let chill with the hype.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Yeah he had one good solid season so now he’s worth 80 million and better than Saliba? Who won the ligue 1 young player of the year.


So? A lot of defenders have looked very good in the premier league and they were not generational talents or worth 80 million. Looking very good for one season doesn’t mean feck all.

He was never recognized as a special talent in France reason why he never made any youth appearances till 2020 for the U21 after his first good season at Leicester. Let chill with the hype.

Yeah on the other hand, a lot of players have won young player of the year awards and have not gone onto be generational talents, especially in Ligue 1. I personally think Saliba will be great btw, but the hype surrounding Fofana hasn’t come out of nowhere, to perform as well as he did at such a young age in the premier league doesn’t happen too often.

 

[JPRouve]

Yeah on the other hand, a lot of players have won young player of the year awards and have not gone onto be generational talents, especially in Ligue 1. I personally think Saliba will be great btw, but the hype surrounding Fofana hasn’t come out of nowhere, to perform as well as he did at such a young age in the premier league doesn’t happen too often.

What makes you think that?

 

[Tiki-Taka]

What makes you think that?

More based on the quality of the league, but any league’s young player winners many if not most do not become generational talents. Clearly in recent years Mbappe and Hazard have done, but Thauvin, Dembele (jury still out), Fekir, Belhanda and Sakho I wouldn’t class as generational talents.

 

[JPRouve]

More based on the quality of the league, but any league’s young player winners many if not most do not become generational talents. Clearly in recent years Mbappe and Hazard have done, but Thauvin, Dembele (jury still out), Fekir, Belhanda and Sakho I wouldn’t class as generational talents.

How is that different to any league? And since when any league has a new generational talent every year, by definition those are rare?

 

[Tiki-Taka]

How is that different to any league? And since when any league has a new generational talent every year, by definition those are rare?

That is exactly my point? I even said, it’s the same in any league, you seem to agree with each point I make but argue against it

The post I replied to stated ‘a lot of players have looked very good in the premier league but were not generational talents’ and just before that asked ‘who’s the one that just won the Ligue 1 young player of the year’ which seemed to suggest it was a good indicator of a generational talent.

 

[JPRouve]

That is exactly my point?

The post I replied to stated ‘a lot of players have looked very good in the premier league but were not generational talents’ and just before that asked ‘who’s the one that just won the Ligue 1 young player of the year’ suggesting that was much more impressive.

It's not. You said especially in Ligue 1 for something that is quite obviously not specific to Ligue 1 or any league. So I wondered how you came up to that conclusion. It was a surprising point that you made for two reasons, it's wrong and also because if it was true it would weaken your point.

Anyway, these awards mean little when it comes to potential, it tells you what a player did during a particular season and nothing else. In a comparison between Fofana and Saliba they were both rated at academy level, the difference in their trajectory is that Fofana showcased his technical abilities before showcasing his physical attributes when it was the opposite for Saliba, in France it's generally easier for physically mature players to gain gamet ime early but if one was to judge both players debut season, Fofana was better, which also means nothing because Badiashile was better than both and he is currently worse.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

It's not. You said especially in Ligue 1 for something that is quite obviously not specific to Ligue 1 or any league. So I wondered how you came up to that conclusion. It was a surprising point that you made for two reasons, it's wrong and also because if it was true it would weaken your point.

Anyway, these awards mean little when it comes to potential, it tells you what a player did during a particular season and nothing else. In a comparison between Fofana and Saliba they were both rated at academy level, the difference in their trajectory is that Fofana showcased his technical abilities before showcasing his physical attributes when it was the opposite for Saliba, in France it's generally easier for physically mature players to gain gamet ime early but if one was to judge both players debut season, Fofana was better, which also means nothing because Badiashile was better than both and he is currently worse.

I also said it’s the same in any league, it goes without saying it’s easier to win an award in a league with lower quality.

I’m not even saying one is better than the other, only against the opinion that anyone who rates Fofana does so because they don’t watch football - fair point to argue against imo.

 

[Sayros]

Yeah on the other hand, a lot of players have won young player of the year awards and have not gone onto be generational talents, especially in Ligue 1. I personally think Saliba will be great btw, but the hype surrounding Fofana hasn’t come out of nowhere, to perform as well as he did at such a young age in the premier league doesn’t happen too often.

Nonsense.

Also, hate the term generational talent, as if that was the base requirement to be interested or hyping a player.

 

[Tiki-Taka]

Nonsense.

Also, hate the term generational talent, as if that was the base requirement to be interested or hyping a player.

I just think Saliba would’ve had less chance winning the award if he was in the premier league.

I used the term as it was the term used in the post I quoted - take it up with him.

 

[Oly Francis]

Fofana isn't in the picture at the moment, he hasn't even been selected once. And Saliba isn't guaranteed to even be in the squad. In theory Koundé, Varane, Hernandez and Upamecano should be part of it and the last places will be a competition between Kimpembe, Konaté and Saliba. That's assuming that Deschamps chooses to play with a back 3.

Otherwise Saliba was excellent last season and is likely to fulfill his potential.

I have very little doubt about Kimpembe being in the team, maybe not as a starter but knowing Deschamps, he'll pick him.

 

[JPRouve]

I have very little doubt about Kimpembe being in the team, maybe not as a starter but knowing Deschamps, he'll pick him.

I agree but if there is a surprise it should between those three. In all likelihood there is only one spot in contention and while I ignored Pavard he could actually take the 6th spot. The point being that Saliba is probably not even making the team, he will have to beat a few players and rely on injuries.

 

[Oly Francis]

I agree but if there is a surprise it should between those three. In all likelihood there is only one spot in contention and while I ignored Pavard he could actually take the 6th spot. The point being that Saliba is probably not even making the team, he will have to beat a few players and rely on injuries.

France does know how to grow center backs ^^

 

[GoonerInPeace]

You know he is good when rival fans are willing PSG to take him from us. There is already talk we are working on a new contract for him. Hopefully we get it done then we can quote PSG 100m+ if they want him.

I still cant wait to see us with our best backline. Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney. That being said its good we can utilize White at RB and Zinchenko at LB. Especially when Tierney and Tomiyasu were unavailable last season it was Cedric and Tavares. A massive improvement.

But as far as Saliba goes. What a diamond of a footballer.

 

[V.O.]

You know he is good when rival fans are willing PSG to take him from us. There is already talk we are working on a new contract for him. Hopefully we get it done then we can quote PSG 100m+ if they want him.

I still cant wait to see us with our best backline. Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney. That being said its good we can utilize White at RB and Zinchenko at LB. Especially when Tierney and Tomiyasu were unavailable last season it was Cedric and Tavares. A massive improvement.

But as far as Saliba goes. What a diamond of a footballer.

If he's as good as he looks at first impression and has PSG sniffing around, he'd be a Harry Kane-sized prat to sign a long term deal with Arsenal.

 

[V.O.]

Wait, this is the lad who recorded his teammate wanking and put it on social media, isn't it?

He probably is enough of a prat to sign a long term deal with Arsenal then, to be fair.

 

[GoonerInPeace]

If he's as good as he looks at first impression and has PSG sniffing around, he'd be a Harry Kane-sized prat to sign a long term deal with Arsenal.

Depends if he wants to play in the farmers league or not. Plus he is a bit of a hero in Marseille.

How much fun will Mane have at Bayern going 5-0 up at half time away to Frankfurt who won the Europea League last year.

And whilst his at Arsenal, he should take around and look at the array of quality players his age and might think he is at the right club

Saka 20, Martinelli 21, ESR 21, Odegaard 23, Gabriel 24, White 24, Tomiyasu 22, Ramsdale 24, Vieira 22, Nketiah 23. Even Jesus and Zinchenko are only 25. Throw Saliba into the mix at 21 and its obvious what Mikel Arteta is trying to do

 

[SoCross]

Depends if he wants to play in the farmers league or not. Plus he is a bit of a hero in Marseille.

How much fun will Mane have at Bayern going 5-0 up at half time away to Frankfurt who won the Europea League last year.

And whilst his at Arsenal, he should take around and look at the array of quality players his age and might think he is at the right club

Saka 20, Martinelli 21, ESR 21, Odegaard 23, Gabriel 24, White 24, Tomiyasu 22, Ramsdale 24, Vieira 22, Nketiah 23. Even Jesus and Zinchenko are only 25. Throw Saliba into the mix at 21 and its obvious what Mikel Arteta is trying to do

They’d only stay if you win trophies. Recall Wenger trying to do the same thing - RVP, Fabregas, Adebayor, Flamini, Walcott etc etc. They all left.

But exciting young team you’ve put together!

 

[ValenciasDrilledCrosses]

fantastic player, been one of the best CBs in his age group for quite a while. If he signs a new deal all those loans and careful development from Arsenal would look brilliant. Hope that PSG and Real is tapping him up as we speak because if he enters next summer with 1 year left Arsenal will absolutely shit themselves (and the meltdown would be glorious). Can't be having a potential world class centre half at Arsenal, can we?

 

[Mogget]

If he's as good as he looks at first impression and has PSG sniffing around, he'd be a Harry Kane-sized prat to sign a long term deal with Arsenal.

He's only 21. Even if he stayed at Arsenal another five years (not that I'm saying he will) he'd have plenty of time to play for PSG or Real.

 

[Skills]

He's only 21. Even if he stayed at Arsenal another five years (not that I'm saying he will) he'd have plenty of time to play for PSG or Real.

That's 5 years of his career down the drain though

 

[Adamsk7]

Thought he looked good but some of the comments in here are way overblown. He’s still young and there are elements of his game that need developing. Thought he could have done better on a couple of the chances Palace had.

Im sure he’ll be a top player but I think all these sorts of threads need a bit of perspective. I worry that if Garnacho comes on this season and plays a blinder, we’re all gonna call him the next whoever and go nuts. Anything can happen with young players, even the ones that seem sure things.

Especially if you film team mates wanking.

 

[TwoSheds]

Liked the look of him. Hope we'd throw our hat in the ring if he has a good season given he might only have a year left on his deal.

He's way better than Fofana from what I could see, that lad was overhyped even ignoring the fact he's clearly very inury prone.

 

[BurgerVan]

That's 5 years of his career down the drain though

Ridiculous comment. You could say that if he joined any other PL club not called Man City or Liverpool, any other French club bar PSG.

How long is Sancho's contract? 4 years left? well, that's those years down the drain...

 

[phelans shorts]

Liked the look of him. Hope we'd throw our hat in the ring if he has a good season given he might only have a year left on his deal.

He's way better than Fofana from what I could see, that lad was overhyped even ignoring the fact he's clearly very inury prone.

I agree Fofana was overhyped, but I think saying he’s injury prone is very unfair. He’s had one very, very major injury and a couple of niggles in the immediate aftermath, which is totally normal.

Salina does look good but he won’t be facing Palace who’ve had an incredibly disjointed pre season every week. It’s very quick to be anointing him yet.