Arsenal: 3 players who will love William Saliba

2. David Luiz

Perhaps more than any position on the pitch, centre-back depends on the partnership, not the individuals. Some of the best defences in the league do not necessarily feature the best centre-back, but a greater sum of the collective parts. Having complementary options at the position, then, is vital.

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David Luiz would relish playing alongside Saliba. It would provide him with another aggressive defender who likes to play on the front foot and step into midfield to recover possession. Saliba also has the speed to recover his position, as Luiz does. Together, the pair would be awkward for attackers to play against as they give no opportunity to receive the ball and turn.

In possession, Saliba is excellent. His pass completion rate is just short of 90%, he plays 2.32 passes into the final third per 90, and, most impressively, has an 80.8% completion rate on long passes, proving that he has the skill to play more difficult passes that help progress attacks from deep. This is something that Luiz is renowned for.

Finally, Luiz has repeatedly proven his leadership qualities in his first season at the club. Saliba would provide him with another young defender who he can mentor and develop, invest in, teach and fine-tune. Saliba is not the complete player. No 19-year-old is. But he has a toolset that very few young defenders in the world have. Luiz would relish harnessing a young player like that.