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4 takeaways from Arsenal’s US pre-season tour
By Adam Schultz
3. William Saliba is the real deal
The 21-year-old has been nothing short of fantastic this pre-season. Deployed in the heart of defence alongside Gabriel, the Frenchman has not missed a beat. In each game, Saliba has oozed confidence, been calm with the ball at his feet, and has dealt with anything thrown his way with ease. It is almost like he is a level above at the moment.
Before the Chelsea game, some had argued that he had not played against top-quality opposition, so his performances were less than.
https://twitter.com/TikiTakaConnor/status/1551118560562397184?s=20&t=4FjGboYoP9Ym1HpZY985Rw
His performances will no doubt give the boss serious selection headaches. Against the Blues, he didn’t put a foot wrong the entire game. The young defender comfortably dealt with Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Raheem Sterling despite barely getting out of second gear.
With only one more game to play before the league opener away at Palace, there is a genuine chance that the player who we feared was lost to Ligue 1 could become a staple of this Arsenal side.
Arteta’s decision to loan him out last season looks like a masterstroke now, doesn’t it?
Continued on next slide…