Mikel Arteta promises to "pass on" Martin Keown's message to Arsenal duo
Mikel Arteta has promised former Arsenal star Martin Keown that he will “pass on” his message that Gabriel and William Saliba “ate” Erling Haaland.
The Gunners secured a 1-0 victory over Manchester City ahead of the international break. City’s Norwegian hitman, already on eight Premier League goals for the campaign, was kept at arms’ length throughout the majority of the clash.
That was down to an excellent performance from defensive duo Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba, who marshalled Haaland extremely well. Former Gunners defender Keown was full of praise for the pair and made sure to make his admiration known to Arteta.
Speaking at the end of an interview with Astro SuperSport, he said: “I just want to say, by the way, the two central defenders – as an ex-central defender for Arsenal – they were immense today. Saliba and Gabriel, they ate Haaland!
“And it’s not often you can say that because he’s a wonderful player. But they were really, physically top class if you want to pass that on to them.”
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“Please tell them [yourself],” the Arsenal boss replied. “When you see them around, please tell them! I will pass the message on.”
Gabriel and William Saliba silenced Erling Haaland in Arsenal's win over Man City (Getty Images)Could Arsenal win the league this season? Share your predictions in the comments below
Keown was not the only one to be left impressed by Saliba’s performance against Man City. BBC pundit Garth Crooks named the Frenchman in his team of the week, while also comparing him to Arsenal icon Sol Campbell.
Writing in a column, he said: “Once again the steadying influence of William Saliba in defence for the Gunners is proving invaluable. The atmosphere at Emirates Stadium was as tense as I have known it against Manchester City and yet Saliba was as cool as ice and appeared to handle Erling Haaland without any trouble at all.
“I rate Saliba as highly as I rated Sol Campbell. The France international has the same kind of presence in defence as the former England man and is just as quick.
“What no-one can legislate for is whether Saliba can remain fit. It's highly unlikely he can go an entire season without some sort of injury and if his fitness does falter can the Gunners survive without him? Should Saliba get injured and Arsenal find that they can survive without him, then they must really fancy their chances of lifting the title.”
Crooks’ concerns are well-founded given that Saliba has been forced to withdraw from the France squad for the current international break. He is said to be suffering from a ‘chronic’ toe issue and has been replaced by Jean-Clair Todibo.
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