Pundit claims that Arsenal now have their very own Virgil van Dijk in their squad

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Nigel Reo-Coker has claimed that Arsenal defender William Saliba is the club’s very own version of Virgil van Dijk.

Reo-Coker was providing his thoughts on the Gunners star ahead of their clash with Manchester City tonight on the House of Champions podcast.

Plenty of Arsenal fans will be gutted not to have William Saliba available for tonight’s match.

He’s arguably been their best defender this season, and his absence in recent games has shown that.

Arsenal come into their biggest game in years off the back of three successive draws.

In those matches, they’ve conceded seven times, with Liverpool and West Ham producing frustrating comebacks.

Reo-Coker has suggested that Saliba has been a level above many of his Arsenal teammates this season.

He compares the impact he’s had at The Emirates this season to that of Virgil van Dijk when he signed for Liverpool.

It’s a huge call, with the Dutchman completely transforming the mood at Anfield.

He provided a level of calmness and composure that hadn’t been seen at Liverpool for some time.

Reo-Coker singles out Saliba for praise at Arsenal

The CBS Sports pundit was quick to highlight Saliba’s impact on the Arsenal side this season: “William Saliba when he plays, he plays the game at a different level in the sense that he has great football intelligence.

“He is such a leader in that back line that everyone else raises their game, they have that extra confidence because they know he’s playing. That’s what some vital players do.

“We saw it with the arrival of [Virgil] Van Dijk, being able to push Liverpool over that line, and Alisson, to win that Premier League title after how many years.

“That’s how influential Saliba has been for Arsenal. We’re seeing that when he’s not playing, that back four is not the same.”

Arsenal are also desperate to extend Saliba’s current contract, although David Ornstein suggests no significant progress has been made in that regard.

Prolonging Saliba’s stay at The Emirates this summer is arguably a more important job for Edu Gaspar than bringing in new signings.

It’s hard to disagree with Reo-Coker’s analysis on Saliba given how Arsenal have played in his absence.

The young Frenchman has a huge career ahead of him, and Arsenal will hope that will be with them.

Arteta’s priority in the summer will be to find a centre-back who provides the same level of performance as Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in case he’s faced with another injury.