‘Better than Ben White’: Former Arsenal striker says Arsenal have a youngster who is already way ahead of Ben White
Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has heaped praise on William Saliba when speaking on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel.
The pundit was sharing his love for Saliba and he actually made an interesting claim about the Frenchman, claiming that he is a level above Ben White – who he has replaced at centre-back in this Arsenal team.
Campbell cited Saliba’s size, speed, and reading of the game as key reasons for his superior ability, despite the fact that White has proven himself to be brilliantly versatile with his showings at right-back.
At the age of just 21, Saliba is exceeding all expectations in his first full season at Arsenal, having spent plenty of time cutting his teeth on loan in France.
Saliba better than White
The pundit gave his verdict on these two players.
“If you remember last season, we saw Ben White doing the cleaning up, Gabriel was the aggressor, and now, Saliba is just a level above. No disrespect to Ben White, but Saliba with his size, speed, and his reading of the game. Ben White has proven himself to be a flexible all-round defender now,” Campbell said.
Campbell also suggested that Saliba’s presence has allowed White to play more freely and take more risks, knowing that the Frenchman will cover him.
“The key to it is that if you’re playing in a successful team, be it at centre-back or right-back, I think Ben White has done a superb job and I think he realises that he can do what he wants to do because Saliba will cover him. If you remember last season, teams tried to play on Ben White for the physicality. White can get stuck in, but he’s not as physical as Saliba.”
Doesn’t matter
Whether or not Saliba is better than White doesn’t really matter. They’re both Arsenal players, and that’s what’s important.
Saliba has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers this season, and his partnership with White on the right side of defence has been utterly brilliant.
Saliba may only be 21, but the fact he’s already being talked about in this way goes to show just how brilliant he is. The Gunners’ young defensive core could be incredible for the best part of the next decade, and that’s a scary thought.
With Saliba continuing to impress and White himself still developing at just 25 years old, Arsenal fans will be hopeful that they have a formidable backline for years to come.
