Pundit blown away by 22-year-old Arsenal player’s pace vs FC Nurnberg

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Arsenal drew 1-1 with FC Nurnberg in their pre-season friendly this evening and Jeremie Aliadiere was blown away by William Saliba’s pace and acceleration.

Mikel Arteta named a strong XI today in Germany, with a number of key players starting the game. Jakub Kiwior was preferred to Kieran Tierney at left-back, while Leandro Trossard was deployed in Granit Xhaka’s role in midfield.

The best news of the night, however, was the return of Saliba after his injury, and Aliadiere, who commentated on the game on Arsenal.com, was really impressed with him.

Jeremie Aliadiere blown away by William Saliba in FC Nurnberg vs Arsenal

Arsenal signed William Saliba for £27 million (Goal) all the way back in 2019, but it was only at the start of last season that he got an opportunity as a Gunner.

The 22-year-old had a stunning season last time out. He was one of the best defenders in the Premier League when he was fit and was arguably the biggest reason why the Gunners were on top of the table for such a long time.

Arsenal’s season took a turn for the worse after Saliba suffered a season-ending injury in the Europa League game against Sporting Lisbon in March. He didn’t play again and that cost them the title.

Today against Nurnberg, Saliba returned to action, and he was as calm and composed as always at the back.

Speaking during first-half stoppage time, right after Saliba used his pace to shield the ball and prevent any danger, Aliadiere raved about him.

He said: “Saliba hasn’t lost any pace even though he was out for a few months.”

Speaking about his acceleration, he added: “When he starts pushing, he’s gone, you ain’t stopping him.”

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Saliba’s return is absolutely massive for Arsenal.

Many Gunners fans will argue they would’ve won the league last season if he had stayed fit, but there’s no way to find that out now.

Arsenal, however, will have another go next season, and their chances of going all the way will increase significantly if Saliba plays all 38 games in the Premier League.

All in all, it was a good 45 minutes from the Frenchman and he should be pleased.