Ricky1985 wrote:
Didn't forget, I just don't think he's relevant. I think a lot of Arsenal fans talk out their arse when it comes to Saliba and his quality. I know a damn sight more than most because I've watched lots of his games and he is a MASSIVE talent, but he still has lots to learn, lots to improve on and needs to grow into his body because he still struggles moving that huge frame around.
Would I have him here playing games? Absolutely. Would he be an upgrade over Rob Holding over the course of the season? Probably not, especially when you factor in experience. Is Marseille about his current level? Yes, I think so.
If it was up to me, I'd have been blooding him here from day one because watching Holding, Chambers and Pablo Mari is no fun at all, but if you think Saliba won't have his own significant issues to work out that will draw criticism and cost points, you're wrong. I think Ben White is much further along in his development and is just generally a much better defender at this point in time.
You could literally say the same about Holding and Chambers, doesn't mean they should be starting ahead of Saliba.
No one is expecting White or Saliba to not make mistakes. The question was who is the long term option, and you go with that, and Arteta chose to spend an obscene amount on White when there was an investment in Saliba already there. This is where Edu should be putting down his authority instead of pandering to Arteta's whims.
We play 433, so one of Saliba / White / Gabriel will have to leave next season, because neither of them will be happy sitting on the bench at this stage of their development. An issue caused by Arteta, when there were plenty of other areas that 50m could have been spent. We've wasted 50m to create a problem for the next manager to solve, Arteta will have no accountability here, because he will be long gone.
