Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas reveals he was asked to help scout William Saliba before his move to the Gunners. It comes after the Frenchman impressed once again with his display in the North London Derby, helping his side to victory over Tottenham to go clear at the top of the Premier League.
Saliba's rise at Arsenal started with his signing back in 2019 from St. Etienne, costing roughly £30million. However, the youngster wasn't seen as ready for action in England, spending three seasons on loan, with his latest at Marseille being the one that cemented his reputation as an up and coming star.
Just eight games into his career with the Gunners and he's cemented a place for himself in the starting lineup, with plenty of praise for his displays. "What he is doing at 21 years old is rare," Mikel Arteta said of his defender, who he has entrusted with a place in the team in what is seen as a crucial season.
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"He remains really humble. He wants to learn, he wants to train every day and he is really demanding of himself and he is giving a lot to the team.”
Should he continue that form, it could see the Gunners save themselves millions in transfer fees by being able to land a talent like Saliba before he has progressed into the player he is now. While it may be down to the scouting department to receive the praise for that particular find, it appears as though former player Fabregas played a hand too.
Speaking on BT Sport after the North London Derby victory, he said: "That was a fantastic complete performance. I’d like to mention the special name, the fact he was so good he made it look easy is William Saliba.
"I’m sorry, but this boy was in France on loan and I was watching him very closely because an ex-Arsenal scout asked me three years ago when we were playing St Etienne in a cup match, I was rested so I was in the stand, he said ‘watch this boy, I want to sign him’.
"He was 18, 19 and he was the best player on the pitch so that shows you the potential of this guy, he looks so easy, he could be Arsenal’s centre-back for the next 15 to 20 years."
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