Bacary Sagna makes big claim concerning Arsenal’s William Saliba

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Bacary Sagna has told Goal that Arsenal youngster William Saliba has the tools to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League in the future.

The Gunners fans are waiting for the start of next season, whenever that may be, with plenty of excitement as they finally get to see their 2019 signing play for the club for the first time.

Arsenal spent £27 million to sign Saliba last summer. But rather than keep him in their ranks, they agreed to loan him back to Saint-Etienne for this campaign.

The 19-year-old has only made 12 Ligue 1 appearances this season. Nevertheless, Sagna has tipped the teenager for big things once he arrives at the Emirates.

“He is a big prospect for the future but Arsenal need him to perform as soon as he starts,” he told Goal.

“He is aware of that probably, but he has a lot of qualities and he will learn fast. Hopefully he will achieve good things and become one of the best centre-backs in the league.

“He is very confident in defending, he is not afraid to defend one against one and most of the time he wins the duels, which is the best quality as a defender.

“You need some security, you need some presence and he has that.”

Despite Arsenal improving defensively under Mikel Arteta, there looks to be a real opportunity for a player to come in and establish themselves in one of the centre-back spots.

That will give Saliba plenty of hope heading into next season. But, as Sagna notes, that will also bring a lot of pressure.

While Arsenal’s supporters will be willing to give the youngster some time to adapt, they will also be aware that the club spent a significant sum to sign him. And thus, they will hope to see glimpses of that potential almost immediately.

It remains to be seen if he will live up to expectations. But Sagna is clearly optimistic that he has the ability to be a major success in North London.