Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand leap to Saliba's defence after "average" blast

09 November 2023 , 18:50

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Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand leap to Saliba's defence after "average" blast

Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand have sung the praises of Arsenal defender William Saliba after he was labelled as "average" by fellow Frenchman Marcel Desailly.

Saliba has been in fine form for the Gunners this term and was one of their stand-out players last season as Arsenal came close to a first league title since 2004. In turn, the centre-back was the subject of plenty of praise from far and wide, but has clearly not convinced everyone.

Despite being one of the first names on Mikel Arteta's team sheet at the Emirates, Saliba was brought back down to earth by the comments of Desailly. The former Chelsea defender claimed: "I don’t believe his individual qualities to be above average. He’s at a very, very high level but not extraordinary."

The evidence doesn't exactly support Desailly's claim, given Saliba is an integral part of of an Arsenal defence that has shipped the second-fewest goals in the Premier League so far this term. The Gunners star has since received the backing of two centre-back greats in Keown and Ferdinand.

"I really can’t understand that [Desailly’s comments]. I think Saliba has the complete skill set," the former Gunners defender told TNT Sports before Wednesday's win over Sevilla.

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‘I think he’s right now one of the best defenders in Europe. He has everything you need. His pace is phenomenal. His power. He reads the situation really well. We love having him at Arsenal because he’s physical and has everything you need. He’s aggressive and I think he has everything he needs. I am really surprised by that comment."

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William Saliba has been defended by Martin Keown and Rio Ferdinand (Getty Images)

Keown's sentiment were echoed by Ferdinand, who was equally confused by Desailly's assessment. "I don’t think Marcel Desailly has watched enough of him," the former England ace added.

"He might have seen one game or half a game. But his consistency has been fantastic. He’s the main man. He’s going to grow into a leader at this football club. That position demands concentration and minutes on the pitch. Saliba’s producing performances way beyond his years."

Saliba has arguably been Arsenal's best player this season and his absence at the back end of last term is what many put the Gunners title capitulation down to.

Josh O'Brien