Darren Bent has crowned William Saliba and Sven Botman as the two best performing centre-backs in the Premier League so far this season.
Saliba has starred for Arsenal in their charge to the top of the division, with the Gunners now two points clear of second-placed Manchester City. The Frenchman has started all 12 top-flight games so far, keeping four clean sheets along the way.
It is a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Saliba, given that at one point it seemed as if Mikel Arteta had no use for him, electing to send him away from the Emirates in each of the past two years. Botman meanwhile joined Newcastle in July in a £35million transfer move from Ligue 1 Lille, having won the French title in 2021.
He has featured in 11 of the Magpies' 13 games so far, helping them to secure the league's best defensive record and rise into the top four. The performances of Saliba and Botman have been enough for Bent to place them ahead of the likes of Manchester United star Lisandro Martinez.
The Argentine has impressed for the Red Devils since joining them from Ajax in the summer window. But while Bent admitted it was a close call, the former striker insisted it was Saliba and Botman who had impressed him most.
"If I had to pick two centre-backs, I mean I'm torn a little bit. So one would be William Saliba, but you agree with that. William Saliba would be one. I think he's been brilliant and you've seen it, how good he's been for Arsenal this season," he told talkSPORT.
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"Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League table. Now I'm torn, because I like Martinez at Manchester United, but I also like Sven Botman at Newcastle. So I think I'm gonna go for Sven Botman.
"It's like a flip of a coin. He went heads so I'm going Sven Botman. I think he's been brilliant, he's only 22 as well. Newcastle chased him for a while. His performances have been outstanding so I've gone for Sven Botman and William Saliba."
Saliba has been particularly impressive this season, shown by the fact he sits second among all Arsenal players for tackles made, clearances made and blocks made so far this term. As a result of his performances the Gunners will offer him a new contract. His current deal expires at the end of this season, with the option for another 12 months. Preliminary discussions have now turned into 'formal negotiations', with the club making the Frenchman a fresh offer.
No agreement as so far been reached, but the Gunners are keen to tie down their star defender to a long-term deal. Saliba's next outing could come on Thursday when Zurich visit the Emirates Stadium in the final game of the Europa League group stages.
Arsenal have already secured their passage into the knockout stages, with the joint-best defensive record in Group A. A win over the Swiss side will ensure they finish top, ahead of PSV Eindhoven.
