Mikel Arteta is finally banking some payback for his patience after resisting Jamie Carragher's early calls over defender William Saliba.
Arsenal restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League by beating Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday - with the once-snubbed Saliba at the heart of their defence.
The Gunners were on the verge of dropping points at the Emirates after goals from Philip Billing and Marcos Sensei gave the Cherries a two-goal advantage. Yet Thomas Partey, Ben White and Reiss Nelson all found the net to complete a superb comeback.
Nelson's winner was scored in the 97th-minute, leaving Arsenal fans in ecstasy. Perhaps Saliba's reaction was the best of them all, as he considered whipping his shirt off - changing his mind at the last minute - and volleyed the corner flag before running off.
It was a moment that proved just how much winning the Premier League means to Saliba, who has been a revelation this season. The 21-year-old centre-back has started every league game for Arsenal this term - keeping 11 clean sheets.
Saliba was also part of the France squad that reached the final of the World Cup in Qatar, which Argentina won on a penalty shootout. He is unquestionably one of the best defenders in the Premier League, but it has not always been this way for the youngster.
Saliba did not play a single minute of senior football during his first three seasons at the Emirates, as he was shut out by Mikel Arteta and forced complete loan spells with Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille. On many occasions, his Arsenal future looked in doubt.
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Saliba's omission from Arteta's squad left Jamie Carragher perplexed. Writing for his column in The Telegraph in December 2020, Carragher urged the Arsenal manager to put his faith in the club's youngsters - including Saliba and Bukayo Saka.
"Arteta can get on the right path by working with the top class youngsters emerging from his academy, assisted by the correct assortment of more experienced players," wrote Carragher. "Bukayo Saka is one of the most exciting young players in England.
"I am surprised we have not seen more of highly-rated teenage defender William Saliba since his signing from Saint-Etienne, even though the youngster was sent off playing for the club’s Under 21s earlier this week."
At the time, Arsenal were reeling from a number of questionable signings - including Pablo Mari, David Luiz, Willian and Nicolas Pepe.
Carragher went on to write: "Arteta must stake his reputation on them as he eases out those unsuited to the philosophy, building a younger, more active team over the course of two or three windows to correct the errors of the last five or six."
As we now know, Arteta listened and built one of the finest young squads in Europe. The likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and captain Martin Odegaard were all signed, allowing Arsenal to thrive again.
Saliba was also given his chance after an impressive pre-season campaign. Arteta explained ahead of the Bournemouth game, "He had an immediate impact... the first two training sessions that we looked at him and thought, 'There's huge potential here'.
"His attitude, the way he came in and said, 'I'm going to prove that I'm very good and I deserve to be here'. Without any looking back, or being shy - he was doing it the right way... He took out every question mark that we could have with him and gave us all the reasons to play him."
It may have taken a while for Saliba to break into Arsenal's starting XI, but Arteta is reaping the rewards now. What a player... and what a time to be an Arsenal fan.
