3 best Arsenal players from Euro 2024 group stage

It feels like an eternity since the host nation, Germany, welcomed Scotland to the European Championships for the fourth time in the Tartan Army's history with a 5-1 thrashing at the Allianz Arena.

Arsenal had a club record 11 representatives on Europe's biggest footballing stage this summer, beating the previous best of nine players that usually don Arsenal's red and white at Euro 2000.

Three players who call The Emirates home failed to progress to the knockout stages. Jakub Kiwior's Poland, Kieran Tierney's Scotland and Oleksandr Zinchenko's Ukraine all finished bottom of their group. Although the Poles and Scots gained just one point in their three fixtures, Ukraine will be rancorous after goal difference separated them between bidding farewell to Germany, and topping their group.

Looking forward to the round of 16, Jorginho kicks off the eight ties with Italy on Saturday evening, while Kai Havertz will prepare to face Denmark the same night. The following day, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice will be expected to be called into action against Slovakia, while the final Gunners, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, face each other in a crunch tie next Monday.

As the group stage excitement transitions into the knockout rounds, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the standout performances from Arsenal's representatives at Euro 2024. Here are the top three Arsenal players of the group stage.

1. William Saliba

Starting all three of France's group-stage games despite Didier Deschamp's brutal pre-tournament comments, Saliba has slotted into the French backline with astounding comfort.

Despite being lauded by fans and pundits alike for his impressive performances in north London, the 23-year-old has always had to accept a role on the sidelines for his brief international career, with the likes of Raphaël Varane and Ibrahima Konaté conventionally being preferred.

To accommodate Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano, the Bondy-born defender has been deployed as the left-sided centre-back in Germany thus far. Despite being right-footed, Saliba has been confident and secure both in possession and while defending.

Making 12 clearances, winning five duels and obtaining a staggering pass accuracy of 96.5% across all three games, the only disappointment the £27m star suffered was a tainted clean-sheet record. After refusing to concede in the first two fixtures, a retaken penalty was enough to break France's defence, as Robert Lewandowski converted from the spot with 15 minutes of group-stage football to play.

Due to the Frenchman performing almost faultlessly, he was forced to undergo an anti-doping test, which saw him left behind by the team bus on Tuesday night. However, the defender has since reconvened with Les Blues, as they prepare to face a struggling Belgium side in the round of 16.

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