Excellent Maturity – Former Arsenal Star Heaps Praise On Returning Gunner

Saliba made 52 appearances in all competitions for Les Phoceens in the 2021/22 season and collected only seven cautions along the way.

The loan spell at the Stade Velodrome was the third in a row in Ligue 1 for the centre-back after signing for the Gunners in the summer of 2019.

Sagna extolled the 21-year-old’s virtues, particularly his maturity and composure on the ball, and goes as far as to say that the Frenchman might have been the best in his position in France last term.

“Saliba was one of the best defenders in France last season. It was between him and Marquinhos at PSG – he may have even been the best”, Sagna told Lord Ping.

“He has an excellent maturity for a young player and is incredibly composed on the ball and in situations when he is under pressure.”

Sagna further lauded the centre-back for becoming a key player at Marseille under Jorge Sampaoli and making the step-up in quality by playing nearly every matchday of the Ligue 1 season.

“For his development, playing a full season, week-in-week-out at Marseille was absolutely massive”, he added.

“To play for a club like Marseille isn’t easy and comes with a lot of pressure, but he quickly became one of their key players and was a big part of their success last season.

“This experience will have made him better and it looked like the perfect decision for Arsenal because now he will come back into the team a much better player.”

Marseille were keen to keep hold of Saliba beyond the end of his loan spell, but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta wanted the French defender back in north London.

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