Recent reports are claiming that David Luiz is set to leave the club this summer, and I can’t help but believe that William Saliba will be the man to step into the role.
The centre-back has been enjoying a first-team role for Nice since joining on loan in January, playing the full 90 minutes of 19 Ligue 1 fixtures thus far.
The defender has helped his side to a comfortable mid-table finish, but his performance haven’t gone unnoticed, with a number of stats emerging of his passing range and ability.
Saliba is claimed to have completed 7 of his 8 long pass attempts, as well as retaining a 95% pass accuracy from his 113 passes in the entire matchup with Strasbourg.
His stats for the previous match appear even better on paper however, despite less passing attempts.
Some fans were shocked that he wasn’t at least given the chance to showcase his talent in the first-team this season, with Mikel Arteta forcing him to play for the Under-23 side, before he eventually left on loan instead.
With TheAthletic confirming that he will leave the club this summer, you have to believe that we will be looking at bringing a ball-playing defender into the first-team, and Saliba has been showing that he is exactly that over in his home country.
Is there any doubt that the 20 year-old is ready to step-up into Arsenal’s first-team for the new season?
Patrick