Micah Richards blown away by £27m Arsenal player’s display vs Manchester City

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Micah Richards has lauded William Saliba after Arsenal beat Manchester City on Sunday, insisting that the Frenchman was outstanding for the Gunners.

Richards was speaking to Sky Sports (broadcast on 8/10; 18:43) after the Gunners made a huge statement, with Gabriel Martinelli bagging the only goal at the Emirates.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes were exceptional at the back for Arsenal. The pair had to deal with a lot, particularly with David Raya enduring a tough day between the sticks.

Of course, they were tasked with coping with Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez. But Arsenal became only the second team to keep a clean sheet against the Cityzens this season.

Micah Richards lauds William Saliba after Arsenal win

Gary Neville was hugely impressed by Gabriel. But Micah Richards believes that Saliba showed how important he is to Arsenal with his performance.

“We talked about Saliba last season, they missed him for some key games last season. He’s come and he’s playing the best football of his career. And today again, he was outstanding,” he told Sky Sports.

Gunners have brilliant chance if Frenchman stays fit

It was one of the major ifs of last season. What would have happened to Arsenal and their Premier League title charge had William Saliba stayed fit for the entirety of the campaign?

Obviously, we will never know the answer. He may have hit a bad patch of form himself at the worst possible time. But given how good he has been throughout his time at Arsenal, it is hard to argue with those who believe that it would have made a massive difference had they had him for the whole season.

No team has conceded fewer goals in the Premier League than Arsenal. And the one constant has been Saliba, when you consider that Ben White has been deployed as both a centre-back and right-back.

There is obviously a long, long way to go in this campaign. But Arsenal fans will allow themselves to dream a little over the international break.

Certainly, with the £27 million man in their ranks, Arsenal have every chance to achieve something very special this season.