Mathieu Debuchy backs William Saliba for Arsenal success

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Mathieu Debuchy has told The Official Ligue 1 Podcast that he is delighted that teammate William Saliba is heading to Arsenal at the end of the season, and backed the defender to be a success at the Emirates.

There is a lot of excitement ahead of Saliba’s arrival in the summer. The 18-year-old signed for the Gunners in 2019 but is spending the campaign on loan with Saint-Etienne before linking up with his parent club when the season concludes.

There is also a lot of intrigue. Arsenal’s defensive woes have arguably improved under Mikel Arteta. But they have not gone away altogether. So you could understand why the fans are hoping that Saliba can prove to be an inspired signing.

And ahead of Saliba’s switch, Debuchy – who spent three-and-a-half years on Arsenal’s books and now plays alongside the centre-back for the Ligue 1 side – insisted that the teenager has every chance of living up to the hype.

“He’s a great player. I’m so happy for him to play next season for a big club like Arsenal,” he told The Official Ligue 1 Podcast.

“He improves every game and I think he is a great player. He’s strong with good technique. He’s quick.

“I think he has a lot of quality to play at Arsenal.”

TBR View – Saliba could take integral role in exciting, young Arsenal side

Arteta will be wary of putting too much pressure on Saliba. The starlet has only made six appearances in the French top flight this season.

But Debuchy’s comments hint that Saliba does have the potential to take an important role amongst the exciting group of youngsters available to Arteta.

The likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are certainly making a name for themselves this season. And they are not the only young players making an impression.

Arsenal, of course, are a club that have to think about how they can improve now.

But if Arteta can get something going in the coming months, an exciting era could soon begin at the Emirates given what they have coming through for the future.