William Saliba #17

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Saliba doesn't lack self-awareness or confidence. "I am not the best defender in the world, but yeah; one of the best," says the Arsenal centre-back. If there is still progress to be made, Mikel Arteta believes that Saliba will make it. "I think that he will go to a new level in the next few years," says the Arsenal manager. Getting to his current level took time and multiple loan moves back to his native France. During that time, there were questions over whether Saliba would ever make it at Arsenal. But they were no longer posed when he returned to the Emirates for the third and final time in 2022, becoming an integral part of the Arsenal defence. He now speaks of being a "leader" for France: the next step to becoming the best defender in the world? Those are the kinds of questions now asked.

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