William Saliba ready to be Arsenal star and is right player to sort out defensive woes, reveals current boss Claude Puel
WILLIAM SALIBA can hit the ground running and cure Arsenal's defensive woes, according to Claude Puel.
The French coach has overseen Saliba's loan spell at Saint-Etienne since taking charge of the Ligue 1 side in November.
With 17 appearances under his belt in an injury-hit campaign that ended prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic, the centre-back is now heading to North London for a transfer completed last summer.
And Puel believes the 19-year-old has the mentality to succeed at Arsenal, both on and off the pitch.
The former Leicester manager told : “He is ready.
"He is a fantastic player. He is a young player but with a lot of maturity in his play.
"Also, in his life. He is a player with a good feeling and spirit."
Mikel Arteta must fix Arsenal's creaky defence if they are to seriously push for Champions League qualification.
Arsenal need a good centre-back and have done for some time, and I think William is the right player."
Claude Puel
David Luiz has proved a reasonable stop-gap signing but is set to leave this summer, with the Gunners willing to hear out offers for Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
That could open the way for Saliba as soon as he touches down at Emirates Stadium.
And Puel, 58, feels the time is right for the defender to make the move.
He noted: "It will be hard for us without him.
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"But I think it is a fantastic opportunity for Arsenal.
"I think they need a good centre-back and have done for some time, and I think William is the right player. I think he can play all the time in the first-team at Arsenal."
Saliba is expected to link up with the Gunners for training next month but will be ineligible to play in the final weeks of the Premier League season.