Arsenal fans will love how William Saliba proved a French legend wrong

FC Internazionale Milano v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7
FC Internazionale Milano v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 | Stuart MacFarlane/GettyImages

Arsenal's defense is easily the best in Europe at the moment. Not only do they have one of the best central defenders in Gabriel, his partner, William Saliba, is not half bad, either.

He, too, belongs in the category of being one of the best defenders in the world, regardless of position, and he showed that to full effect against Inter.

He was winning every single duel, every header and every tackle, and it was made clear to the entirety of Europe just how good Saliba can be.

One of the people that was made clear to was France's legendary central defender Marcel Desailly, who actually issued an apology to Saliba for underrating him.

Arsenal fans will love how William Saliba proved a French legend wrong

After the game against Inter, Desailly talked about how well Saliba played, and accepted that he was wrong about the player.

He said: “I have to apologise to William Saliba, because I never saw this level of performance coming. I looked at him when he first joined Arsenal and I didn’t see him becoming a world-class player – that was a huge misjudgement! He has shown leadership, consistency and he has such a high ceiling; we haven’t even seen the best of him yet.

“I’m so proud of him, especially with how he’s cemented himself into Mikel Arteta’s system and become a crucial player for them. The club was desperate for leaders a few years ago, and Saliba is now part of the leadership group there. He’s helped take the Gunners to the next level and allowed them to challenge for major trophies.

“France are so lucky to have him too; they can rely on a brilliant centre-back in him at the upcoming World Cup. He’s a really valuable asset to both his club and country, and I look forward to seeing how good he can become.”

Fair enough to Desailly. Not many people accept these sorts of statements publicly. Desailly knows how good Saliba is now, and how well he played against Inter, and the fact that he is ready to accept that he was wrong shows some character.

Saliba has easily become one of the world's best central defenders in just a few years' time. His rise to success goes in line with how much Arsenal have improved since he arrived in 2021 - consistently battling for the Premier League title and advancing well into the Champions League knockouts.

Let's make one thing clear though: Saliba hasn't just become a top-class defender. He has been for a few years now, but these sorts of performances against top teams like Inter will make people see it on a completely different level.

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