William Saliba repaying Arsenal faith after loan spells

This time last season, the knives and pitchforks were out for Mikel Arteta and Edu. Having just sent Saliba out on his third consecutive loan, many questioned the pair’s motives for allowing such a talented player to be seemingly cast aside.

Given that Rob Holding was getting minutes, many of the Arsenal faithful turned on Arteta because of how he mishandled (many thought that at the time) Saliba’s situation. Such was the angst around the French defender; many thought they would never get to see him in an Arsenal shirt.

The 21-year-old went from strength to strength for Marseille in Ligue 1 as he won the Young Player of the Year award, was capped for the France international team, and helped Marseille back into the Champions League.

The defender returned to much fanfare this summer as many were excited to see him finally don the Arsenal kit. During pre-season, he was flawless. The Frenchman was commanding, composed on the ball, positionally astute, and did everything a world-class centre-back should do.

There were still some detractors, however, and many believed the opening night clash away at Crystal Palace would be a more suitable measuring stick for Saliba’s talent.

The answer? A Man of the Match performance as he dominated at the heart of Arsenal’s defence.

Such was his command during the game; it left many wondering if the 21-year-old is already the Gunners’ best defender.

Arteta and Edu’s decision to send him out of loan last year looks like a masterstroke, and now we have a full season of the 21-year-old to look forward to.