Mikel Arteta and France manager Didier Deschamps are aligned when it comes to one thing about Arsenal defender William Saliba.
Arsenal defender William Saliba could feature for France at Euro 2024 this evening.
France are about to get their Euro 2024 campaign underway against Austria this evening. However, Saliba is unlikely to be named in Didier Deschamps’ starting XI for this match.
The French manager has been critical of Saliba in the past, stating that the 23-year-old is capable of errors and lapses in concentration.
Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit was bemused by these comments and has now urged Saliba to prove his worth at this summer tournament.
Mikel Arteta would also likely take issue with much of what Deschamps has said about the centre-back, and he certainly has enormous faith in the player’s abilities, as evidenced by his importance to the Gunners.
Saliba made history for Arsenal last season, as he became the first outfield player to play every minute of a Premier League campaign for the club.
However, when it comes to the defender’s potential to improve even further, Arteta and Deschamps are on the same page.
France boss Didier Deschamps and Mikel Arteta agree over Arsenal star William Saliba
French football expert Julien Laurens has now provided his insight into Saliba’s standing within the international team setup.
As quoted by the official Arsenal website, he said: “There’s an aspect of his game where Deschamps, like Mikel Arteta, knows that he could be even better than what he is and this is only the beginning for him.
“That’s why both of them can be quite tough with him at times because they know there’s so much potential and he will get so much better than he is now, which is scary considering how good he already is.”
However, Laurens also noted: “For now it looks like he won’t be starting the first game at the Euros.”
Whilst Deschamps clearly has his doubts about the player, France captain Kylian Mbappe is delighted to have Saliba in the squad and recently shared a touching story about his childhood connection with the Arsenal man.
Whilst fans of the North London club, who know all about how good Saliba really is, will be keen to see him impress this summer and prove Deschamps wrong, above all they will be wanting him to return to the Emirates Stadium injury-free.
Arsenal players and transfer targets at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode of Cannon Fire – The Arsenal Insider Podcast, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discuss the European Championships. With 11 Arsenal players set to feature at the tournament, the pair debated which players could be fighting for their futures, and which are destined to succeed on the international stage.