‘Absolutely brilliant’: Darren Bent says £27m Arsenal player has been even better than Gabi Jesus this season

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Darren Bent has told TalkSPORT that Arsenal defender William Saliba has been even better than Gabriel Jesus this season.

Saliba has been like a new signing for the Gunners this season after returning for a loan spell with Marseille.

The £27 million man signed for the north London club back in 2019 but has only recently emerged as an important part of the first-team.

The Frenchman has slotted in seamlessly in Mikel Arteta’s side and started in every Premier League game so far.

Jesus has made a huge impact on the Gunners side after switching the Etihad for the Emirates over the summer. The Brazilian has already scored five goals and provided six assists in 12 Premier League appearances.

The 25-year-old seems to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Arteta at this moment in time and is also bringing the best out of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

But former Tottenham striker Darren Bent feels Saliba has been better than the former City man so far this season.

Bent says Saliba has been better than Jesus

Bent named Saliba has the fourth best player in the Premier League so far this campaign.

He told TalkSPORT: “I’ve gone for William Saliba. He’s been absolutely brilliant, he’s been absolutely fantastic.”

Presenter Andy Goldstein then posed the question: “Is Jesus in there?”

“I forgot about him. He’s been brilliant.” Bent responded.

Goldstein then asked Bent if Saliba is considered as one of the best centre-backs in Europe on current form.

But Bent was hesitant to put the Arsenal star in that bracket just yet.

He added: “That’s tough. It is too early but in Premier League terms, I’d put him in the top five. For sure, he’s been absolutely brilliant.”

Both players have been undeniably excellent for the Gunners so far this season and have significantly improved the quality of Arteta’s starting XI.

Saliba has pushed Ben White out to right-back and formed a solid partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.

Jesus is proving to be a vital player for Arteta’s side too and it’s hard to call who has performed better this season.

One thing is for certain, if you take either player out of the Gunners side, they will be significantly worse off for it.