Marseille manager Jorge Sampaoli thinks that William Saliba is a ‘future great of French football.’
Saliba has been incredibly impressive since moving to Marseille on loan from Arsenal this summer.
The Ligue 1 outfit have enjoyed a fantastic start, dropping just two points from their opening five league games, leaving them second in the table narrowly behind Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal fans have questioned the club’s decision to let Saliba leave on loan in the previous transfer window, especially after the Gunners had a poor start to their respective league campaign, losing their opening three matches convincingly to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City respectively.
Mikel Arteta ’s team have subsequently won their last two matches by keeping clean sheets in 1-0 wins over Norwich and Burnley, but many fans would still like to see Saliba come back to the Emirates to finally make his first competitive appearance for the club.
Nevertheless, they’ll still be encouraged by Sampaoli’s comments, as the Argentine coach has predicted a big future for Saliba.
As quoted by RMC Sport, via Caughtoffside, Sampaoli said: “He’s a top player at his position. We were lucky to get him on loan, it wasn’t simple.
“He’s great at marking, but good bringing the ball out too. He’s a future great of French football, he’s very good at starting plays.”
Although many fans think that Saliba is ready, one thing most can agree on is it is good that he is playing regularly with Marseille, as the experience he is earning can only benefit Arsenal in the future.
The 20-year-old travels to Angers on Wednesday, whilst the Gunners will face AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup before preparing to host Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby on Sunday.
