Player Analysis: William Saliba

After an impressive debut season in Ligue 1, Arsenal purchased 18-year-old French center back William Saliba for €30 million, before loaning him back to parent club Saint-Étienne for the following season. Saliba spent a long spell on the sidelines in 2019/20 due to a hamstring injury in May 2019 and a metatarsal fracture in November, playing just 1,172 minutes out of a possible 3,150.

Shortly after breaking into manager Jean-Louis Gasset's starting line-up in December 2018, Saliba became a leader a the back for Les Verts; in his first season at the top level, Saint-Étienne won 69.2% of their matches with him in the side as opposed to just 40% without him.

After an injury-riddled sophomore season, Saliba will now be looking to solidify a starting spot in Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, where he'll have the chance to form a stalwart defensive pairing with new signing Gabriel Magalhães and further develop as a player in North London.

Why Do Arsenal Need Saliba?