Pundit claims Arsenal must now build team around 22-year-old after Manchester City display

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Kevin Campbell has suggested that William Saliba is immense after his performance for Arsenal against Manchester City at the weekend, insisting that the Gunners may have their new world-class centre-back partnership.

Campbell was speaking on the Highbury Squad podcast after Mikel Arteta’s men became the first side to stop Pep Guardiola’s side scoring in the Premier League since the final day of last season.

William Saliba, in particular, was exceptional in the battle with Erling Haaland. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand noted that he had to stop and rewind one moment where Saliba managed to knock Haaland over with minimal fuss.

And Kevin Campbell believes that Arsenal now have a pairing at the back which could lead the side to the title, with the former Gunners striker suggesting that the story could have been different last year had the Frenchman not got injured.

Kevin Campbell lauds William Saliba after Arsenal win

“The guy is immense. He’s immense. If we had him last season at the end of the season, who knows whether we become champions? Because him and Gabriel are the rock that Arsenal must be built on. Adams and Bould, when you’ve got Adams and Bould, you’ve got your rock at the back, the platform to build,” he told Highbury Squad.

“Saliba is the reader of the game. He’s silky, he’s powerful, he’s quick.”

Gunners centre-backs led Arteta’s men to clean sheet

One of the most notable performances from an Arsenal player on Sunday surely came from David Raya. Certainly, he gave Arsenal fans plenty to worry about during the early stages of the contest.

Ultimately however, he was able to keep a clean sheet.

In fairness to Raya, he did appear to improve as the game went on. Some of his long-range passing was sublime.

But the Spaniard can hardly take much of the credit for Manchester City not scoring. That is not a criticism, because actually, it was Saliba and Gabriel who ensured that he was not tested.

City barely laid a glove on Arsenal in the final third – particularly after the first few minutes. And it was the centre-back pairing, as well as the likes of Jorginho and Declan Rice who made sure that the visitors had such a miserable afternoon.