For the past year, rumours have swirled about Real Madrid’s interest in one of Arsenal’s most understated superstars.
William Saliba’s contract has been creeping worryingly close to its endpoint, and the lack of an announcement about a renewal was making some supporters edgy.
So it was of massive relief for Gunners fans when transfer guru journalist David Ornstein revealed that the Frenchman had agreed terms on a new long-term deal.
Anyone expecting a brash, flashy reveal might be disappointed; however, Saliba is a quiet character who will do things subtly if he has any say.
Although he has a big, pacey physical presence, the defender conducts himself on the field with a bowed head and narrowed eyes.
His centre-back partner, Gabriel, who represents the polar opposite, emphasises Saliba’s mild manner. The Brazilian’s brash, aggressive, and mouthy approach draws all eyes to him.
But together, they are, in Rio Ferdinand’s words, “the best centre-back pairing in Europe,” with styles that complement each other well.
“They proved that the last couple of seasons now,” he explained, “they’re resolute. They’re hard. They can do it in different ways.
“You’ve got a great blend. Saliba is a little bit more calm and wants to cover and sweep a little bit.
“Gabriel’s on the front foot, more of a Martin Keown type. [He’s an] aggressive-type player. They complement each other so well.”
Ferdinand knows something about centre-back pairings, having been in one of the Premier League’s most legendary partnerships with Nemanja Vidic.
But he is not alone in declaring the duo one of the best around; other pundits with similar credentials, like Jamie Carragher, have sung their praises too. Although the ex-Liverpool man believes the young Frenchman requires the experienced Brazil international to bring out his best qualities
“I think Saliba is the better player, but Gabriel is the better leader, and he needs to bring that to his game if he wants to get to the levels of Virgil van Dijk,” he said
“Saliba needs Gabriel. Since Gabriel has come out of the team, that’s not the same Saliba I’m watching.
“The great centre-backs, it’s not about how good you are and everything you can do, you want all of that, but you need to affect other people.
“Think of Tony Adams. Think of Van Dijk. They’re not just great players. They make everybody else around them look like great players. And that’s the thing I think is still lacking with Saliba. Without Gabriel, he doesn’t look the same player.
“I’d be embarrassed if I was playing centre-back for Liverpool and people saying he’s not the same player without him next to him.”
But the truth is that when Saliba has been missing from Gabriel’s side, the Brazilian has also looked far weaker.
As ESPN pundit Steve Nicol pointed out, the Gunners have often suffered costly slumps when he’s been injured.
“Saliba’s not put a foot wrong for three years. I know he was injured at the end of last year, but before that, he was the best centre-back in the Premier League, and I would argue that it’s between him and Van de Ven who’s the best [in 2024/25] as well.
“Van Dijk has had a decent start, but there’s no way you put him ahead of Saliba, not a chance.”
Saliba’s route to the Arsenal first team was not straightforward. He was bought for big money, then farmed out on loan, sometimes seemingly like he might not return to the Arsenal fold.
But bringing him back and integrating him with Gabriel have proved critical to Mikel Arteta’s success.
Securing a new deal for the player is crucial and definitive in terms of the club’s ambition to go beyond its three second-place finishes and claim the Premier League crown.
It’s something Saliba himself has discussed targeting.
“We all want to achieve something,” he said, “winning this Premier League is not easy, but when you finish twice second, you want to win. We will give everything.”
“Of course, we’ve finished second for three years in a row, and we know that we always miss something. Now it’s a new season, we have to see what we didn’t do well enough to win the league.
“We have to try to be even better than the last three seasons to win this league … We just miss trophies. We play good, we are good, but we miss trophies, and we have to win trophies with Arsenal to be even better.”
Liverpool looks stronger than ever this year, so wrestling the title from Merseyside will be no mean feat. But with Saliba tied down to a long-term agreement, the Gunners are giving themselves an excellent opportunity to try and win the Premier League they’ve been tantalizingly close to securing for the past few years.