92.9% pass accuracy, best at Arsenal this season - but here's why Saliba almost didn't make it under Arteta | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reportedly had some doubts about William Saliba when he first took over as Gunners boss in 2019.

Saliba first moved to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2019 when Unai Emery was still manager, but he immediately went back to previous club Saint-Etienne on loan.

The France international had a great reputation in Ligue 1 and many Arsenal fans were keen to see him get a chance, but he had to be patient and go out on loan to Nice and Marseille before finally getting a look-in in the 2022/23 season.

According to the Independent, Arteta was not entirely sure about Saliba at first, though he “quickly realised what he had” on his hands.

It’s clear now that Saliba is one of Arsenal’s most important players, so fans will be delighted that Arteta didn’t end up getting this wrong.

Why William Saliba is so important to Arsenal

Saliba is widely regarded now as one of the very finest centre-backs in world football, having formed an excellent partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.

The 25-year-old is not only incredibly consistent with his positioning and strength in the tackle, but he is actually also Arsenal’s best passer this season.

Stats from WhoScored show that Saliba has a pass accuracy of 92.9% this season – for context, the other players just below him have also not played nearly as many games, as the table below shows…

Arsenal like to control games by almost smothering their opponents, so having a centre-back that can pass this well is essential.

This helps AFC dominate possession and to stay on the front foot, even if there have been times this season when fans were frustrated by the team struggling to get its more creative players on the ball more often.

Still, it now makes sense that Saliba is such an important player for Arteta, and there’ll be widespread relief that the manager gave this elite defender another chance.