Latest Arsenal News: Arsenal’s newcomers had an impressive outing last evening as they opened their English Premier League campaign with a remarkable 2-0 triumph over the host Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park
Showing early signs of promise this season, Arteta’s new singings had a ball last night. With Oleksandr Zinchenko setting up the first goal to Gabriel Jesus creating chances all night long to William Saliba taking home the MOTM trophy. The Gunners hit the ground running as they brilliantly started their top-flight campaign.
Latest Arsenal News: William Saliba’s Heroics In The First Match For Arsenal
Bought in 2019 for a sum of £27 Million from Saint-Etienne, Saliba had never played a single minute for the Gunners until last night; instead was constantly loaned back to his native country over the previous three years.
The pressure on this 21-year-old Frenchmen was immense as he took the pitch on Saturday. The Arsenal fans have been calling for his inclusion into the playing XI ever since he arrived from France in 2019.
Starting in the heart of defence alongside Gabriel Magalhães, Saliba brilliantly handled the pressure whenever Palace became a real threat ending the game with 100% take on completed, 100% aerial duel success, and superior passing accuracy of 94% while also bagging seven ball recoveries and six ball clearances.
The Frenchmen took the entire social media by storm as Arsenal fans tweeted about him all night long.
Post-Match Reactions From The Game; As Arsenal Secure A Great Win:
Speaking about Saliba in the post-game interview, the Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta said, “You do not really see that at 21 years old. A debut in the Premier League against this opponent. These physical players and resolve the situation the way he has done it with that composure, with that calmness, and with that presence. Big credit to the boy.”
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville took it a notch further comparing the young Frenchmen with his then-teammate and former United star Rio Ferdinand. Speaking about Saliba, Neville said: “We see a lot of players get stuck in between the first team and the reserves. This is the Premier League and the chances are quite limited at times. And they do not get any regular football and fade away eventually. Saliba has got football inside him, which is clearly visible.”
“It reminded me of a young Rio Ferdinand. He will actually get stronger, and his body will become more coordinated. He is such a young centre-back still at the age of 21. That is a big night for Saliba, making his debut with such a strong performance.”
Well, the latest Arsenal news is all positive, with Thomas Partey all set to make a comeback into the team. Though the north London giants did lose their first game of the season at Old Trafford, things can only get better. That is if they continue to play like they have so far this season.
It will be interesting to see how things develop now and whether Gary Neville is right about his prediction. The centre-back looks really good. Only time will tell!!
