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It is no surprise that every time someonoe talks about the best centre-back pairing in football, the first two names that come to mind are Arsenal's William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.
They have been one of the very best centre-back partnerships in world football for quite some time now, and right now, there may not even be a close second.
When both of these central defenders are fit, it is a tall order for even Europe's most elite strikers to put goals past them. Combine that with the best defensive record in the Premier League as well as the Champions League, and Arsenal fans have a partnership that could potentially be called era-defining.
However, for them to be called era-defining, they would have to do a few things. That, at least, is what Arsenal great Sol Campbell has to say about the topic.
Sol Campbell's advice for Gabriel and William Saliba is absolutely spot on
He knows that Gabriel and Saliba are great. He knows that they can be all-time greats in their position, but there are things they both need to do and achieve before they enter those conversations that they have already been a part of.
Campbell said: “To be a truly top centre half pairing, you must play together for two, three, four, even five years. And you must win things. You need to perform at a high level week in, week out, across multiple seasons, then look back and say, ‘We achieved something’.
“You can’t really compare partnerships until that happens. Potentially, Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba could be the best Arsenal have had, and among the best the Premier League has seen. But potential isn’t enough – you have to win.”
That is absolutely spot on. Campbell is not denying the potential or the fact that these defenders are already two of the best in the entire world at the moment.
But, for them to be getting all-timer shouts, such as Arsenal's all-time best centre-back pairing, or one of the Premier League's best ever pairings in the modern era, they would need to play for a lot longer than they currently have.
They would also need to win a heck of a lot more than they currently have. Arsenal have not won any major trophy with these two defenders at the helm yet. That could change this season, but for them to remain in those conversations, they would need multiple titles, and multiple seasons of knowing each other as well as possible.
It is definitely achievable, but it won't be as easy as some may have originally thought.