October 21st 2023.
William Saliba is undoubtedly one of the top central defenders in the world and no one would disagree with former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf tipping him to become one of the best. His performances have been crucial for Arsenal in their Premier League title challenge and he was also a part of the France squad that reached the World Cup final in Qatar.
Saliba has been exceptional since making his long-awaited debut for Arsenal last season and has continued that form into the current campaign. He has been instrumental in the Gunners' unbeaten run of eight Premier League games, keeping six clean sheets and having the joint best defensive record in the top-flight.
The 22-year-old has been unfortunate not to have established himself for his national team yet, as Didier Deschamps has a wealth of defensive options to choose from, such as Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate, Jean-Clair Todibo, Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamencano and Axel Disasi. He did withdraw from international duty two weeks ago due to a toe injury, but is expected to be back in time for Saturday's big game between Chelsea and Arsenal.
Leboeuf, who won two FA Cups with Chelsea and 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, is highly impressed with Saliba's skills and believes he should be the number one choice for France. He stated that Saliba has the power, stamina, talent, and tactical knowledge to become one of the best central defenders in the world.
He further added, "I love the guy. I don't know him personally, but I love the way he thinks about football, and I would have really loved to play alongside him, even if I had some fantastic players like Marcel Desailly."
Saliba has 10 caps for France and finished runner-up at the 2022 World Cup. With the quality of options available to Didier Deschamps, it will be a tough task for Saliba to play for his national team at his best. However, with his impressive performances for Arsenal, hopefully, he can make it to the starting line-up soon.
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