Arsenal fans are already pretty excited about what William Saliba will bring to their defence next season.
The Gunners signed the Frenchman after a protracted transfer chase in the summer.
Fierce rivals Tottenham were reported to be interested in the Saint Etienne star, but it was Arsenal who won the race for the highly-rated 18-year-old's signature.
However, they could not bring him to north London straight away.
As part of the deal, St Etienne insisted on the centre-back returning on a season-long loan to them, to continue his development in Ligue Un.
Despite Arsenal's need for defensive reinforcements, they agreed, eventually signing David Luiz and Kieran Tierney too.
Saliba missed the start of the French season with an adductor injury, but has shown his quality since he has returned to the first team, with St Etienne conceding just one goal in the four games he has played.
The latest result - a 1-0 win over Bordeaux, the team for whom former Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny signed this summer, got Arsenal fans excited, with Saliba impressive at the back.
And the stats about his influence on the team are telling, and show just why St Etienne wanted to keep him for another year and why Arsenal were so desperate to sign him.
Saliba has played 13 Ligue Un games for St Etienne in 2019 and they have won 11 of those matches. That's a whopping 33 points from 39 available when he has been on the pitch.
Not only that, but in those 13 games, St Etienne have only conceded four goals!
St Etienne have played 17 games in 2019 without Saliba in the team. They have won just four of those matches, with five draws and eight defeats, conceding 28 goals.
| 2019 |
With Saliba |
Without Saliba |
| Games |
13 |
17 |
| Wins |
11 |
4 |
| Draws |
0 |
5 |
| Losses |
2 |
8 |
| Goals against |
4 |
28 |
That's quite the contrast in statistics, and for an 18-year-old to have such an influence speaks volumes about his ability.
