Pain in the Arsenal
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Granit Xhaka heaps praise on “amazing” William Saliba

By Adam Schultz

Arsenal's French defender William Saliba is pictured during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 13, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's French defender William Saliba is pictured during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 13, 2022. - - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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William Saliba had hardly put a foot wrong in Arsenal colours until Saturday when he scored an own goal. Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka has since defended the 21-year-old after his game against Leicester City.

You would be hard-pressed to find an Arsenal fan that isn’t head over heels for William Saliba. The 21-year-old Frenchman has been sensational since arriving back from Ligue 1.

The defender has done everything and more as he’s showcased what talent he has. He takes command, is rarely beaten, is superb with the ball at his feet, and looks like a veteran in the heart of Arsenal’s defence.

However, against Leicester City, Saliba, who was perfect for 50-odd minutes, ran into the first bit of adversity in his short Arsenal career. The Frenchman scored an unfortunate own goal to let the Foxes back into the game.

Granit Xhaka heaps praise on “amazing” William Saliba

The Emirates crowd got right behind their prodigy, and Saliba continued on his merry way again, producing a superb performance.

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, who spoke with the Evening Standard, had nothing but positive words for how the young defender handled himself after the own goal.

"“This is football,” Xhaka said.“People only see the own goal, but maybe, hopefully, they’ll see what a game he had. This guy is 21. I think in his first game in the Premier League for Arsenal, he was unbelievable.“You can see how… he looks like he is 30. He has discipline and big character. He is not so loud but he is a proper leader in my eyes. You can see he is amazing. He has a lot of quality and yeah, we forget the own goal because for 90 minutes he had a great, great game.”"

It is yet another feather in the cap for the Frenchman as he showed his mental strength and obvious football talent. A lesser player might have gone conservative and played within themselves as their confidence could have been shaken. Not Saliba.

The 21-year-old has returned from three consecutive loan spells to become one of Mikel Arteta’s star defenders, and despite the own goal, the defender shows no signs of slowing down.

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