William Saliba: Page 73 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

William Saliba

RowJimmy

The most widely held opinion on the forum, including both Arteta-ins and Arteta-outs, was that we should have kept Saliba and invested the $50M spent on White on a CM instead.
There was then some speculation as to why we didn't do that, on which opinions about Arteta were more determinative than opinions about Saliba.

Clrnc

RocktheCasbah wrote:
Obviously, I don't know because I wasn't around at the time, but were people making up reasons why Saliba wouldn't make it here? Or were they just expressing legitimate fears about putting a 19/20 year old into what what was, at the time, quite a dysfunctional football team?

You can look back at the start of the thread. Some people on reddit spread the rumours that his dad passed away so he wasn't mentally fit to play. When that got debunked because his dad passed away 2 years ago, they said it was his mum ignoring the fact he played football in France after she passed away. Claimed he can't play or be on the bench for us because of that even though he was dying to play. I remember another made up reason that we couldn't play him or register him in squads because if he made a mistake our fans will be right tearing onto him so have to protect him by sending him to loans after loans, at clubs where the fans are a lot more loud and violent than ours 😆

AAStyle

Oh Dear, the things that were said to defend Arteta's incompetence

Don Pacifico

There was also an amusing theory that Saliba had offended Arteta. 😆

Qwiss

He's just so fucking calm. I think that leads to good touches and spot on decision making.

RocktheCasbah

AAStyle- wrote:
Oh Dear, the things that were said to defend Arteta's incompetence

And yet, here we are, player and team thriving. Some achievement, given how shit the manager apparently is.

RocktheCasbah

Clrnc wrote:
RocktheCasbah wrote:
Obviously, I don't know because I wasn't around at the time, but were people making up reasons why Saliba wouldn't make it here? Or were they just expressing legitimate fears about putting a 19/20 year old into what what was, at the time, quite a dysfunctional football team?

You can look back at the start of the thread. Some people on reddit spread the rumours that his dad passed away so he wasn't mentally fit to play. When that got debunked because his dad passed away 2 years ago, they said it was his mum ignoring the fact he played football in France after she passed away. Claimed he can't play or be on the bench for us because of that even though he was dying to play. I remember another made up reason that we couldn't play him or register him in squads because if he made a mistake our fans will be right tearing onto him so have to protect him by sending him to loans after loans, at clubs where the fans are a lot more loud and violent than ours 😆

Well, we seem to keep circling back to this, but it is undoubtedly true that now Arteta has emptied the clown car, the atmosphere around the country is much more positive and, therefore much more conducive to player growth.

The other thing is, at the start of last season, I think I'm right in saying Sokratis was still at the club, so was Callum Chambers - so even with Luiz fucking off, we had more centre backs than we needed.

There's obviously never going to be agreement across the forum about the best thing to have done with Saliba last summer particularly, but surely it isn't controversial to say that; a) Mikel Arteta has access to much more information about the player than we do and; b) the loan deal last summer has massively benefitted the player.

And that now, as a club, we can reap the benefits with the player.

Meatwad

should be arsenal's #4. worthy french successor to vieira. just gave away his number like he's some chump.

deardevil

RocktheCasbah wrote:
AAStyle- wrote:
Oh Dear, the things that were said to defend Arteta's incompetence

And yet, here we are, player and team thriving. Some achievement, given how shit the manager apparently is.

Unreal that. The fact that he's been a great addition is somehow used against the manager. There's absolutely no way to prove that he would have been just as good last season without his loan spell and just as well impossible to prove that he wouldn't have done as well as he's done had we kept him. The only unequivocal proof is that he is doing it now and surely that's all that matters.

QuincyAbeyie

Unreal that. The fact that he's been a great addition is somehow used against those who said he'd be a great addition.

Don Pacifico

Didn't pretty much everyone think he'd be a great addition?

Clrnc

RocktheCasbah wrote:
There's obviously never going to be agreement across the forum about the best thing to have done with Saliba last summer particularly, but surely it isn't controversial to say that; a) Mikel Arteta has access to much more information about the player than we do and; b) the loan deal last summer has massively benefitted the player.

And that now, as a club, we can reap the benefits with the player.

I have said it previously, the loan deal can benefit the player and yet also not benefit the club last season. Obviously if you send a quality player out on loan you have nothing to lose for him except that you lose a quality player at your disposal. He has more info than us to not give the player a single look in in 2 pre-seasons and already decide what he want to do with him which is on the contrary against the norm for any players at the club so there's that.

I can accept footballing reasons like if we think he is not good enough for us etc so we sent him on loan but not those ridiculous made up reasons that is so unfair on the player.

Anyway pretty much everyone who watched Ligue 1 for the past 2 seasons knew he is quality and would be the best defender in our team and here he is easily top class so we just need to tie him down as soon as possible. Just pay up whatever he wants.

QuincyAbeyie

@Don An addition as in to actually be here.

deardevil

Quincy Abeyie wrote:
Unreal that. The fact that he's been a great addition is somehow used against those who said he'd be a great addition.

Who is using it against those people?

AAStyle

RocktheCasbah wrote:
AAStyle- wrote:
Oh Dear, the things that were said to defend Arteta's incompetence

And yet, here we are, player and team thriving. Some achievement, given how shit the manager apparently is.

Team thriving is something a top tier manager would have achieved eaelier with the amount of money the Kroenkes have granted and avoiding us clownish performances like our final run last season or the shit show of 2020

Edit: Im enjoying the way the team is playing. If Arteta manages to make that the norm and we reach top4 then kudos to him. Well, after 4 seasons and 300M+ Eur spent I dont get why we should accept any other outcome

QuincyAbeyie

deardevil wrote:
Quincy Abeyie wrote:
Unreal that. The fact that he's been a great addition is somehow used against those who said he'd be a great addition.

Who is using it against those people?

Whoever says that him thriving shows that loaning him out was the right move.

deardevil

Quincy Abeyie wrote:
deardevil wrote:
Who is using it against those people?

Whoever says that him thriving shows that loaning him out was the right move.

It's silly either way, because there's no way to prove he would or wouldn't have faired just as well last season.

AAStyle

Every match shows and confirms that he would have been useful last season, the guy would have even been a better choice than White. Spot on comment, Quincy

RocktheCasbah

Quincy Abeyie wrote:
Unreal that. The fact that he's been a great addition is somehow used against those who said he'd be a great addition.

Not really, it's just a different point of view that you don't agree with. And ultimately, we can go round and round on it, and we have, but it's a pointless argument because nobody knows the truth of the matter. And we never will.

Ricky1985

on Saliba’s all-round performance:
He got a clean sheet as well, which is the most important thing for a defender. If you score a goal, that’s a bonus but they’re doing what they need to do, to keep that clean sheet every game.

I saw Arteta say this in the post-match press-conference and he really meant every word of it. I love that he thinks this way and pushes the defence to think this way also. I suppose it wouldn't be a stretch to say he probably signs players that have this kind of atttiude also.

I'm a big fan of the way Arteta wants to play football, it's very Cityesque - both they and we seem to have gone full tucked in FBs and 2-3-5 at the same time. City weren't quite fully there with that last season. Anyway, the point is that whilst I like the way City play, I can't stand the way they defend when they can't dominate the game with their possession, and I love that one big difference in preference seems to be Arteta's appreciation of a great defence (maybe a little of his Everton days and David Moyes in him?). If we can get to a place where we're 80% as good as City at plan A AND are actually able to defend very well when required then we could really become some team.

To be clear, I want 60%+ possession, with the high press for the majority of the game pretty much every week, the focus needs to be on maximising that, but having a rock solid defence as the foundation is absolutely the right way to go. It staggers me that Guardiola doesn't see that but that's good because it makes them catachable for us hopefully in the not to distant future.

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