‘He's so young’: Pundit says Arsenal may have a teenage version of William Saliba on their hands

By Charles Jones

Kevin Campbell has been discussing Marquinhos’ development at Arsenal and where the Brazilian can go from here.

Discussing the winger on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel, Campbell stated that he believes the 19-year-old needs another year out on loan to get first-team football and develop his game.

Campbell compared Marquinhos’ situation to William Saliba’s a couple of years ago, stating that the Brazilian could do with one more year developing his game before returning to Arsenal to be analysed.

Another year on loan

“I think he came and he did a job when we were a bit depleted and he did ok. He’s so young, I think it’s two years, a bit like Saliba, you loan him out, you monitor him and you look again and then he’ll have had a lot of first-team football and that’s what you need. He’s not playing enough for me at Norwich. After two years assess him with the squad and see where we are because who knows where we’ll be in two years,” Campbell said.

Be patient

Marquinhos hasn’t hit the ground running at Arsenal after signing for the London club last summer, but at the age of just 19, there’s time to be patient with him.

As Campbell says, William Saliba took a while to really get going within top level football, and now the Gunners are reaping the rewards of their patience with the young defender.

Indeed, Saliba is now, arguably, one of the best centre-backs in the world, and while there’s no guarantee that Marquinhos will follow that trajectory, giving him a chance to grow and develop away from the Emirates will help him become the player everyone hopes he can be.

Who knows where Marquinhos will be in a couple of years’ time, but he certainly looks like a player with plenty of potential.