Michael Owen has spoken in glowing terms about Arsenal centre-back William Saliba and what could be in store for him in years to come.
At the age of 22, it could already be argued that he is one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
That’s a pretty incredible stage to be at for the Arsenal youngster because he is nowhere near his peak and he is still building up that experience.
Michael Owen was one of the best youngsters during his playing days and he thinks William Saliba has been a ‘great find’ for Arsenal, as he told Premier League Productions (19/02/24 at 11:25 pm).
Even though the France international only made his debut for the club last season, he actually first signed back in 2019 for £27 million.
Back then, a certain Unai Emery was in the dugout, but his exit and Mikel Arteta’s arrival didn’t exactly see the highly-rated youngster provided with chances.
This is despite Arsenal’s struggles at the back, but those loan spells did William Saliba the world of good because it allowed him to mature into the player he is today.
And as Michael Owen touched upon, he feels William Saliba can reach legendary levels like going on to be ‘the next Virgil van Dijk’.
William Saliba’s rise at Arsenal
“You can’t pick five different attributes (for a defender) and not have Saliba,” said Owen.
“I think he has been one of the great finds in recent years in the Premier League. He could, in my opinion, go on and be the next Virgil van Dijk. I think he is that good.”
Patience with William Saliba
When Saliba first joined the club, everything was a mess, from top to bottom and it continued when Arteta arrived.
It took the former midfielder a number of years before he could get everything in order and during that period he didn’t select Saliba.
The powers that be at Arsenal decided to remain patient with him and it worked a treat because he is now one of the best in the Premier League today.
And Saliba’s status will grow to even higher heights if he guides Arsenal to the Premier League title this season.