Arsenal supporters will remain fixed on seeing how the club operates in the transfer window this summer in what is likely to be a difficult market to navigate.
The club recently announced a significant number of job losses to the non-playing staff at the Emirates Stadium which goes to show the ongoing effects caused by financial uncertainty.
With that in mind, it would be expected that the Gunners look to utilise the squad already available and Mikel Arteta’s turnaround in form suggests that might be a realistic achievement.
Switching to a back four could be one way that he looks to develop the Arsenal squad and William Saliba’s return from Saint-Etienne will provide several options to ponder at the back.
A mixture of options from experience to youth presents itself for Arteta as well as players returning from injury.
Below, we break down the best centre-back partners for Saliba in order of preference.
David Luiz
Luiz may not have had the best start post-lockdown against Manchester City, but he has since proven to be a reliable figure at the back for Arteta.
Recently being rewarded a new contract implies that he is a key part of the plans moving forward and the wealth of experience the Brazilian brings could suit Saliba.
A combination of youth and experience would stand as a sensible decision from the Gunners to get the best out of Luiz while also developing the promising Saliba.
If Luiz can continue to improve in terms of decision-making, he could yet be the perfect partner for Saliba next season.
Pablo Mari
In terms of technical attributes, Mari is the most well suited to playing alongside Saliba.
In contrast to Luiz, the 26-year-old would slot in naturally as a left-footed centre back and therefore add more balance than the former Chelsea defender.
However, he has considerably less experience in Arteta’s system than Luiz which means that he may require time to develop into the role required from the Arsenal head coach.
Perhaps giving Luiz the job of partnering Saliba in the short term will eventually lead to Mari taking the reins at the back.
Shkodran Mustafi
After Luiz, the German international has played the most minutes of any central defender under Arteta with 1,547 in all competitions.
That faith from the Arsenal head coach has been repaid to some extent with improved performances throughout the season but question marks remain over his long-term place in the side.
For all of Mustafi’s experience, he perhaps lacks the ball-playing abilities needed to thrive in Arteta’s system and therefore places lower down the ranks in our order of preference to partner Saliba.
Nevertheless, one more year left on his contract suggests that the 28-year-old could be used as a squad player for the 2020/21 season given his wealth of knowledge at the top of senior football.
Rob Holding
The 24-year-old has played 750 minutes since Arteta arrived in December last year which may suggest he isn’t a part of the head coach’s long-term plans.
However, promising performances towards the end of the season illustrate that Holding has plenty to offer at the back.
If Arsenal are to switch to a back four and use Saliba as the first-choice centre back, Holding could be required to adapt if he is able to earn significant minutes on the pitch. While that may appear unlikely, the determination that the defender has shown so far at Arsenal illustrates that he shouldn’t be ruled out of the picture.
Sokratis
The 32-year-old is nearing the twilight years of his playing career and it is unlikely that we see him appearing on a regular basis next season, if at all.
There have been reports linking Sokratis with a move away from North London as Arteta looks to reduce the average age of his squad and it stands to reason that there are more suitable candidates in the squad to partner Saliba.
Arteta’s philosophy of building out from the back requires a technical centre back and Sokratis probably doesn’t suit that criteria.
Calum Chambers
The 25-year-old has only played a handful of minutes under Arteta after continued struggles with injury last season.
Chambers had suffered a long-term knee injury towards the end of last year but a recent return to fitness could see him enter the reckoning again.
However, it remains to be seen if Arteta sees him as part of the long-term plans at the Emirates Stadium and other names on this list will most likely be higher up the pecking order. Added time for preparation before the start of the 2020/21 campaign may help the defender after such a lengthy lay-off from first team action.
