Arsenal's transfer philosophy of producing young talents has already started to bear fruit as the Premier League's youngest squad sits top of the league in January. One of the shining stars of the campaign has been William Saliba, who only made his debut in the division in the first game against Crystal Palace.
He certainly doesn't perform like a new youngster though, having had a mixture of quality and maturity that is essential to the current title charge. It backs up a stance held by Mikel Arteta to send the Frenchman on loan for the past few seasons, despite claims he should have been involved earlier.
“What he is doing at 21 years old is rare," The Spaniard said of his young defender earlier this season. "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.”
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The Gunners have moved quickly to ensure he stays at the club for the long-term, continuing discussions over a new contract to reflect his development. It has also reflected clearly in the transfer market, with his value skyrocketing exponentially in the past year.
According to CIES Football Observatory, Saliba is now the fifth most valuable centre-back in the world, rated at £70.5million in the current market. The only players ahead of him are Jules Kounde, Eder Militao, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, showing his growth.
It gives Arteta a dilemma over what the future may hold for the 21-year-old, whether he cashes in and looks to reinvest or whether they try and keep hold of Saliba. Recent reported interest from PSG will have certainly added to that problem for the manager, who was right to stick to his initial stance.
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