Arsenal have been boosted by the news that Ligue 1 has been cut short as they begin to prepare for Mikel Arteta’s first full season in charge.
Last summer the Gunners beat Tottenham to the signature of William Saliba. To seal the deal Arsenal agreed to loan the player back to Saint-Etienne for one season.
Now with the French season over, Saliba is set to return to Arsenal as soon as travel restrictions allow him to join up with training (RMC).
However, according to The Mirror, Saliba would not be able to play in any of the remaining Premier League games this season, if they get played.
But having Saliba training with the Arsenal squad and Arteta from now is certainly going to be a boost in developing him into our style of play and preparing him for next season, as the young defender is expected to have a significant impact in helping Arsenal defend and build up from the back.
According to Squawka, Saliba really excels in the tackle duels, with a ‘true tackle success rate’ at 79.17%. Of Arsenal defenders to have actually played in the Premier League for the club this term, Calum Chambers leads the way with 66.67%, Sokratis has 58.14% while Luiz is as low as 57.14% with 11 fouls from tackles.
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This is likely down to the players reading of the game – something Arsenal have lacked in their backline since Per Mertesacker retired. Unlike Per, Saliba has some pace to his game too and appears to have all the natural ingredients to excel as a central defender in the Premier League.