Keown responds to Desailly’s comments about William Saliba

Marcel Desailly questioned how good William Saliba is and insisted that the Arsenal defender is not yet world-class, which has brought a response from Martin Keown.

Since breaking into the Arsenal team last season, Saliba has been one of the finest defenders in Europe.

Some fans believe that if he had not been injured towards the end of last season, the Gunners could have won the league.

He also played for France in the last World Cup in Qatar despite the abundance of defensive talent in the Les Bleus pool.

Saliba constantly earns praise for his performances for the Gunners, but Desailly suggested he was overrated.

Keown insists he does not agree with the former defender and says Saliba has the attributes of a world-class player.

He said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

‘I really can’t understand that (Desailly’s comments). I think Saliba has the complete skill set. 

‘I think he’s right now one of the best defenders in Europe. He has everything you need. His pace is phenomenal. His power. He reads the situation really well. 

‘He has everything you need. He’s aggressive and I think he has everything he needs. I am really surprised by that comment.’

Keown finished by saying: ‘We love having him at Arsenal because he’s physical and has everything you need.’

Just Arsenal Opinion

Saliba is a world-class player and will thrive in any team he plays for. Everyone has their opinion, and Desailly is included, but many football fans will agree that Saliba is one of the best in the world now.