Arsenal: £27m star ‘has been sorely missed’ at the Emirates

Arsenal defender William Saliba has been “sorely missed” at the Emirates, says journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Mikel Arteta’s men have been without the Frenchman since he picked up an injury against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League last month and have dropped a lot of points in the Premier League in his absence.

According to The Athletic, Saliba is now set to miss Arsenal’s crucial clash against Manchester City at the Etihad on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for Arsenal supporters, the bad news doesn’t stop there, with the same outlet also claiming that the 22-year-old centre-back could be absent for what’s left of the season.

It’s a huge blow for Arteta, given how important Saliba has been for the Gunners this term. In total, he’s made 33 appearances and scored three goals, as per Transfermarkt.

Following his injury, Arsenal have gone on to throw away leads against Liverpool and West Ham before allowing Southampton to go two goals in front in their recent 3-3 draw with the Saints at the Emirates.

What has Pete O’Rourke said about William Saliba and Arsenal?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “If you’re going for trophies and titles, you want your best players fit and available and there’s no doubt Saliba is that. So Arsenal will be hoping to have him back as soon as possible because he has been sorely missed at the back.”

Has William Saliba been Arsenal’s best defender this season?

You’d have to say yes. While the likes of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhães have performed exceptionally well, Saliba has just been on another level, with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher drawing similarities between the France international and Virgil van Dijk.

“At Arsenal, the integration of William Saliba and signing of Gabriel Jesus have elevated the team’s performances to a point where they look like a top-four team again,” the ex-England player said in his column for The Telegraph earlier in the season.

“Saliba is a modern centre-back in the Van Dijk mould. He is fast enough to deal with the quickest strikers, aerially strong to cope with target men, and comfortable in possession to ensure his side can play from the back.”

All in all, then, it’s quite clear that Arsenal haven’t been able to cope without Saliba, who cost them £27m when he joined from Saint-Étienne back in 2019, as reported by BBC Sport.