Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly has issued an apology to Arsenal defender William Saliba after making a ‘huge misjudgement’ concerning the trajectory of his profession.
Saliba has developed into probably the greatest defenders on the earth over the past 4 seasons, contributing to Arsenal’s superb defensive record under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal’s £27m signing of Saliba in 2019 was met with much excitement but he was loaned straight back to French side Saint-Etienne before having two more loan spells in Ligue 1.
Saliba has not looked back since breaking into Arteta’s first-team, nevertheless, and is now thought to be one of the reliable defenders within the Premier League.
French football legend Desailly was sceptical of Arsenal’s move for Saliba and admits he ‘never’ imagined he would develop into a ‘world-class’ player.
The previous World Cup and Champions League winner is ‘so proud’ of his compatriot’s development and believes the most effective is yet to return from Saliba.
‘I even have to apologise to William Saliba, because I never saw this level of performance coming,’ Desailly, probably the greatest defenders of his generation, told Card Player.
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‘I checked out him when he first joined Arsenal and I didn’t see him becoming a world-class player – that was an enormous misjudgement!
‘He has shown leadership, consistency and he has such a high ceiling; we haven’t even seen the most effective of him yet.
‘I’m so happy with him, especially with how he’s cemented himself into Mikel Arteta’s system and develop into an important player for them.
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‘The club was desperate for leaders just a few years ago, and Saliba is now a part of the leadership group there. He’s helped take the Gunners to the subsequent level and allowed them to challenge for major trophies.
‘France are so lucky to have him too; they will depend on an excellent centre-back in him on the upcoming World Cup.
‘He’s a extremely useful asset to each his club and country, and I stay up for seeing how good he can develop into.’
Saliba’s form has helped Arsenal move seven points clear at the highest of the Premier League with 16 games remaining.
The Gunners are favourites to lift the Premier League trophy for the primary time since 2004 but Desailly has warned that the title race is ‘removed from over’.
‘The Premier League is much from over and stranger things have happened in football – that’s what makes it such an incredible game,’ he added.
‘Arsenal must be careful by not becoming too distracted by the Champions League or other domestic competitions just like the FA Cup.
‘They will’t afford to lose any key games that may knock the wind out of their sails, similar to their match this weekend against Manchester United.
‘Having the ability to get better psychologically from a defeat in a giant game is vitally vital, but not every team can do it. We’ve seen again and again previously where a result has had a spiralling effect on a team, they usually never really get better to their previous standards.
‘While Arsenal have collected a commanding lead within the Premier League table, things can change on a weekly basis.’
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