After an excellent header to restore Arsenal’s lead against Burnley yesterday, Mikel Arteta has now been discussing William Saliba’s progress.
Arteta was speaking to beIN SPORTS after the 3-1 win and said Saliba had been working in an important area of his game at Arsenal.
The manager commented that Saliba had been trying to become more dominant in the box given his size and stature.
Arteta said: “Absolutely, for Willy as well for his presence and size he needs to show a lot more dominance in the box and he’s really putting emphasis into that and trying to improve.”
Of course, Saliba is already considered one of the league’s best centre-backs without this progress being considered.
The France international was crucial at both ends in Arsenal’s win yesterday, and was heavily praised by the likes of Ian Wright for his showing.
And although he’s barely put a foot wrong for his club, Saliba is yet to convince some on the international stage.
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Marcel Desailly and William Gallas were somewhat sceptical of Saliba’s growing reputation as one of Europe’s best.
Arteta still thinks Saliba has room to improve at Arsenal
Perhaps these improvements will stand Saliba in better stead when it comes to his next appearance for France.
As it certainly seems a peculiar situation from an Arsenal fan point of view that he’s not an automatic starter for his country.
The £27m Arsenal paid for Saliba now looks an absolute steal, even if Arteta has seemed key in unlocking his potential.
And the thought of Saliba continuing to improve should be a scary prospect for other Premier League clubs.
Another player who is showing signs of improvement at Arsenal is Jorginho.
Despite being at a different stage of his career, Jorginho has needed to improve to provide better consistency in his performances.
And having been hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Mikel Arteta after yesterday’s win, he’s clearly stepping up into an important role.
Two home wins have been the perfect remedy to some difficult away trips for Arsenal last week.
And all at the club will once again be optimistic for club football to return after the international break.