Arsenal’s defender, William Saliba has been compared to a blend of Raphael Varane and Virgil van Dijk.
Saliba joined Arsenal in 2019 and was allowed to develop further at Saint Etienne for a season.
The 2019/2020 season was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and he didn’t get enough games to prepare him for a stint at Arsenal in this campaign.
He didn’t play any first-team football in the first half of this season with Mikel Arteta considering him not prepared to play for the Gunners.
He is spending the second half of the season on loan at Nice where he has been a regular.
He has shown a lot of quality and maturity at the Ligue 1 side and he would hope to get his chances to play for Arsenal when he returns.
He was one of the highest-rated young defenders in France before his move to Arsenal and his former manager has reminded us of the huge potential that he carries by comparing him to two of the game’s greatest defenders.
Saliba’s former youth coach, Jean-Luc Vannuchi told The Telegraph via Football London: “My first impression was that this was the biggest man of his generation.
“The difference between him and the other players was massive.”
Vannuchi heaped the praise on his former star: “A mix of the two styles. With Varane because of his speed and power, and with Van Dijk, it is the interceptions, the positioning on the pitch.”