Jamie Carragher has questioned whether Arsenal defender William Saliba is the same without regular defensive partner Gabriel.
Since Gabriel has come out of the team, that's not the same Saliba I'm watching.
Said Carragher after Arsenal's 2-2 draw away to newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool.
The former Liverpool defender's comments came in light of costly errors made by Saliba against both Real Madrid and Crystal Palace.
Carragher also questioned his role in Cody Gakpo's opener on Sunday.
"I think he is one of the top centre-backs in European football," Carragher said.
"As a partnership, him and Gabriel is as good as anything in the Premier League.
"I think Saliba is the better player but Gabriel is the better leader, and Saliba needs to bring that to his game if he wants to get to the levels we talk about with Virgil van Dijk.
"Saliba needs Gabriel. Since Gabriel has come out of the team, that's not the same Saliba I'm watching."
The Arsenal duo have been one of the best central defensive partnerships in the league over recent years with the club on track to concede the least amount of goals for the second successive season.
Still only 24, Saliba's time at Arsenal hasn't always been straightforward.
Signed in 2019 for a transfer fee of £25m, the Frenchman had three different loan spells before he became a first-team regular at the Emirates.
Saliba's career path so far
Years | Team | Appearances | Goals |
2018-2019 | AS Saint-Etienne | 19 | - |
2019- | Arsenal | 133 | 7 |
2019-2020 | AS Saint-Etienne (Loan) | 17 | - |
2021 | OGC Nice (Loan) | 22 | 1 |
2021-2022 | Marseille (Loan) | 52 | - |
It was his final loan spell away at Marseille that seemed to be the catalyst for Arteta to give him minutes at his parent club.
Saliba - who has been capped by France on 26 occasions - played every single game in the Premier League last season.
According to Transfermarkt.co.uk, Saliba is valued at £67.2m - making him the joint-most valuable defender in world football.
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