Jamie Carragher believes William Saliba is capable of replicating the impact Virgil van Dijk has had at Liverpool.
The Dutchman has been colossal at the back for the Reds after joining from Southampton in January 2018. Since his arrival at Anfield, Liverpool have won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and their first League Championship for 30 years.
Saliba, meanwhile, returned to north London following a very successful spell on-loan with Ligue 1 outfit Marseille last term. The 21-year-old has been in superb form for the Gunners, so far this season, playing a key part in their near perfect start to their Premier League campaign.
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And ahead of Sunday’s game at the Emirates, where a win for Mikel Arteta’s side would move them 14 points clear of Liverpool, Carragher believes Saliba could be the man to transform Arsenal’s defence and consequently take them to the next level as a team, just like Van Dijk did at Liverpool.
“At Arsenal, the integration of William Saliba and signing of Gabriel Jesus have elevated the team’s performances to a point where they look like a top-four team again. Saliba is a modern centre-back in the Van Dijk mould,” Carragher wrote in his Telegraph column.
“He is fast enough to deal with the quickest strikers, aerially strong to cope with target men, and comfortable in possession to ensure his side can play from the back. These are early days and Saliba has a long way to go to match Van Dijk’s long-term influence at Liverpool.
“But he has had an immediate impact on how structurally sound a previously flaky defence looks. There is an echo of Van Dijk’s early months at Anfield. The major tactical difference a player such as Saliba makes is in enabling the team to play higher up the pitch, trusting their pacey, multi-faceted centre-half to react if strikers try to get in behind.
“So far, Saliba has been the perfect fit for Arteta, although he will occasionally show inexperience. His misjudgement enabled Marcus Rashford to score on the counter. Although that is the only blemish this season, it demonstrated where Arsenal must improve to get close to the extraordinary standards set by Liverpool and Manchester City.”
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