Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta disagrees with football pundit and former defender Jamie Carragher on comparisons between William Saliba and Virgil van Dijk. The two centre-backs have had a huge impact on their respective sides but will face off against each other at the weekend.
Saliba has been one of the standout stars for the Gunners this season, having returned from a loan spell at Olympique Marseille last year. The youngster won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year - previously won by Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, putting him in good company.
While his status at the club was unknown, and there were concerns surrounding his involvement in this campaign, that was quickly put to rest as Arteta handed him a place as a starting centre-back, moving Ben White to right-back. His confidence and composure have played a huge part in the start Arsenal have made so far, sitting top of the league.
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The 21-year-old's impact has since been compared to Van Dijk, with former Liverpool defender Carragher writing in his Telegraph column: "Saliba is a modern centre-back in the Van Dijk mould. 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.
"Yes, 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."
While this is a point made by a few, when the question of their similarities was put to Arteta, he was quick to shut it down and replied: "I am really happy with where he is at the moment. He is Saliba, he's no one else, and he needs to make his own career.
"The way he has established himself, the composure and leadership he has shown on the pitch has been really good. And then he has done it in a really natural way without any flashing lights, just being himself. He's very quiet and, at the same time, very confident."
While the comparisons have been drawn, the Gunners will be hopeful his impact can be similar when it comes to winning trophies. However, they will both have to be at the top of their game when they face off on Sunday in a head-to-head clash.
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