Mikel Arteta praises 'rare' William Saliba after latest Arsenal win
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed William Saliba as a ‘rare’ talent because the young Frenchman combines raw ability with a humble attitude and a huge desire to learn.
After waiting three years for his Arsenal debut, Saliba has been a key part of the Gunners’ outstanding start to the new Premier League season and even scored a top quality goal in Saturday’s one-sided win over Bournemouth.
“That is individual talent and a moment of quality that he showed, but I am really pleased with his performance,” Arteta said, via Arsenal.com.
“What he is doing at 21 years old is rare. He remains really humble. He wants to learn, he wants to train every day and he is really demanding of himself and he is giving a lot to the team.”
Arsenal have won all three Premier League games so far this season and have kept two clean sheets, as well as scoring nine goals of their own.
Despite the string of good results, both Arteta and technical director Edu have spoken about still wanting to do more transfer business before the summer closes. On Friday, before beating Bournemouth, Arteta insisted a good start to the campaign hasn’t changed the plans.
“We are still in the same position,” he said. “Obviously, the market gives you a lot of information and something that maybe you expect that you could get, you are not getting and the same when it’s ins and outs. But we are focused on the players that we have and getting the best out of them.
“It has to be the right person, and it has to be the right player. We want to only bring top quality through that door, otherwise it’s not worth it.”