William Saliba has always been loved by Arsenal fans, but he used to face a fair bit of criticism back home in France.
The 24-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in world football, and he has been incredible for the Gunners over the years.
However, there was a time when France boss Didier Deschamps didn’t rate Saliba highly, and World Cup winner Marcel Desailly wasn’t a big fan of him either.
The latter made some comments about the Arsenal centre-half in 2023 that look ridiculous now.
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty ImagesMarcel Desailly’s harsh claim about William Saliba has backfired
William Saliba’s debut season at Arsenal came in 2022/23.
The Frenchman spent three loan spells away from the Gunners after joining them in 2019, and there was a point when it looked like he wouldn’t have a future at the Emirates.
However, since getting his first opportunity, Saliba has become undroppable for Arsenal, but it took him more than a year after that to cement his place in the French national team.
In November 2023, Desailly, who was a great defender back in the day, boldly claimed that Saliba is nothing special and preferred Ibrahima Konate over him.
He told GFFN: “Upamecano and Konate – their association is fabulous. And more than that, I think that, individually, they may have a level above what we saw with Varane and Umtiti. But before they can express their individuality at a very high level, their association needs to be good.
“Then there is the one at Arsenal too (Saliba). He hasn’t yet had the game time to adapt to that necessary association. I don’t believe his individual qualities to be above average. He’s at a very, very high level but not extraordinary.”
Those comments look silly today as Saliba is on another level compared to Konate. The latter is often on the bench for France these days and watches the Arsenal star start ahead of him.
William Saliba should never be compared to Ibrahima Konate again!
Saliba has proven that he is a level above Konate time and again over the years. Liverpool fans still think their defender is better, but they are so wrong. What do you think?
Credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images Real Madrid’s Ibrahima Konate decision proves Marcel Desailly was wrong about William Saliba
Real Madrid were really keen to sign Saliba, but the France international snubbed them and signed a new Arsenal contract instead.
The Galacticos are still looking for a new central defender, and Konate, who will be available for free next summer, seemed like the obvious candidate.
However, The Athletic have revealed that Real Madrid have ended their interest in the Liverpool star- they don’t want him, even though he will cost nothing.
That proves once again that Saliba is much better than Konate, as Xabi Alonso’s side would’ve pounced if the Arsenal number two was available for free.
This again shows that Desailly got it all wrong about Saliba.
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