Mikel Arteta was really surprised by £27m Arsenal player’s performances last season

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Arsenal took everyone by surprise last season.

The Gunners went from being top four pretenders to Premier League title contenders.

The north London club looked like a completely different team last term, and they’ve continued in the same vein this time around.

Many have been surprised by Arsenal’s incredible improvement, while there has also been some sort of internal surprise at the Emirates, particularly surrounding one player.

Indeed, according to Art De Roche, speaking on The Athletic Football Podcast, Mikel Arteta was very surprised by one Arsenal player last term.

The Arsenal player who surprised Mikel Arteta

According to De Roche, William Saliba really shocked Arteta last season with his performances and how he clicked with Gabriel Magalhaes.

“So, as you say, with Ben White that came in handy, because when Saliba came back from Marseille and he clicked with Gabriel, which Mikel Arteta was actually surprised by, it was then easy to move Ben White to right-back where he’s been playing ever since,” De Roche said.

William Saliba’s breakout season

Arteta was surprised by Saliba last season, and he surely wasn’t the only person who was surprised by the Frenchman.

This was a player who was consistently shipped out on loan by Arsenal year after year, and it was thought that he may not have a future at the Emirates.

However, he came into the Arsenal team last season and he was arguably the best defender in the league from day one.

Saliba transformed the Arsenal backline, and he hasn’t looked back since.

The Frenchman has been absolutely fantastic since breaking into this Arsenal side, and he continues to go from strength to strength.

Arsenal may not win a trophy this term, but they are set up for big success in the coming years and the £27m man will almost certainly be at the heart of that potential success.