There was a stage when William Saliba looked like he may never make a senior appearance for Arsenal. Having signed in the summer of 2019 – when Unai Emery was in charge – it was over three years later before he made a first appearance for the club.
Given that he cost over £25million, the genuine prospect of seeing him move on before playing for Arsenal would have been a tough one to stomach. Saliba arrived as one of the top young players in France and went on to cement himself as a star of the future.
Those equivalent to him in their status from Ligue 1 are Raphael Varane, Wesley Fofana, and now Leny Yoro. For one reason of the other, neither Varane or Fofana have recently been able to show their quality. Yoro is backed to do so at Manchester United. In the meantime Saliba has forged a pathway for himself.
