Arsenal defender draws comparison to Gunners legend as pundit insists £27m star is key to title chances
Garth Crooks has lauded Arsenal defender William Saliba for his defensive masterclass against Manchester City to keep Erling Haaland quiet.
In a game of relatively few chances, Arsenal managed to come out on top thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s second-half winner.
The result leaves the Gunners second in the table and gives them a two-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s side heading into the international break.
Saliba has grabbed plenty of the headlines after Arsenal’s triumph as he expertly handled Haaland throughout the afternoon.
The prolific Man City forward only had 23 touches and he didn’t register a single shot against Arsenal, despite playing the full 90 minutes.
Crooks has drawn a comparison between Saliba and Sol Campbell, but the pundit has stressed the importance of keeping the French defender fit.
“Once again the steadying influence of William Saliba in defence for the Gunners is proving invaluable,” Crooks told BBC Sport.
“The atmosphere at Emirates Stadium was as tense as I have known it against Manchester City and yet Saliba was as cool as ice and appeared to handle Erling Haaland without any trouble at all.
“I rate Saliba as highly as I rated Sol Campbell. The France international has the same kind of presence in defence as the former England man and is just as quick.
“What no-one can legislate for is whether Saliba can remain fit. It’s highly unlikely he can go an entire season without some sort of injury and if his fitness does falter can the Gunners survive without him?
“Should Saliba get injured and Arsenal find that they can survive without him, then they must really fancy their chances of lifting the title.”
Arsenal fans have been put on red alert when it comes to Saliba as the 22-year-old recently pulled out of the France squad due to injury.
Saliba’s absence was significant during the Premier League run-in last season as the Gunners seemed to run out of steam at the same time Saliba was sidelined.
Along with Crooks, Gary Neville has also stressed the importance of Saliba along with a handful of other Arsenal players.
“I think they’ve got a big chance, Arsenal,” Neville told Sky Sports. “They’ve got to keep their players fit. They’re 100-per-cent better with Declan Rice in the middle of the pitch, without a shadow of a doubt.
“They have to keep Rice fit, the idea of not playing Gabriel Magalhaes at the start of the season was an experiment that won’t happen again.
“Those two centre-halves – Gabriel and William Saliba – were pivotal against City, they were outstanding playing against the best player in the world in that position [Erling Haaland].”
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