Arsenal told they have their own Rio Ferdinand even though Paul Merson backed summer sale

Crystal Palace v Arsenal: Pictures

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Former Arsenal defender William Gallas believes William Saliba is the new Rio Ferdinand after the 21-year-old finally made his competitive Gunners debut. Saliba impressed as Mikel Arteta’s side defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 in their Premier League opener last week. 

A strong tackle on Wilfried Zaha was Saliba’s highlight, preventing the Palace attacker from bearing down on Aaron Ramsdale’s goal. The France international earned plenty of praise in the aftermath. 

Gallas, a former Arsenal captain, says he sees a lot of Manchester United icon Ferdinand in Saliba. The 44-year-old insists the young centre-back can be one of the Premier League’s surprise packages this season. 

“Saliba is a really good player. When I look at him, he reminds me of a player I used to play against – and that player is Rio Ferdinand. If you look at how Saliba plays, and how Rio did when he was young, they have the same style,” Gallas told Genting Casino. 

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“I didn’t say he will have the same career, but I hope he does. He just has a similar style to Ferdinand. I think Saliba will surprise a lot of people, he’s still so young and has much to prove, he will get even better.”

However, it comes after Arsenal legend Paul Merson urged his former club to sell Saliba because he does not think Arteta is keen on the former Saint Etienne star. Merson wondered why Saliba had been loaned out in three consecutive seasons. 

“There must be a reason he’s been loaned out three times by the club. Was he getting ripped in training? I don’t see why he’s still on loan otherwise,” Merson wrote in a column. 

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“Arsenal paid a lot of money for him but I think if anyone offers them their money back they would take it right now. It’s almost three years he’s been there now and he can’t get a look in. Maybe Mikel Arteta has watched him train and decided he’s nowhere near ready.

“If that’s the case, Arsenal are going to need another centre back this summer because you can’t rely on Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Rob Holding. Especially if they are in the Champions League because you have to have a big squad full of quality, proven players to survive playing that many games a season.

“You need four top-quality centre-backs for a start – and they should sign one who’s Premier League ready. How long can they keep waiting for Saliba? You hear that he’s doing well in France, but that league is nowhere near as competitive as the Premier League. 

“If Arsenal don’t have confidence in him to perform over here, there’s no point bringing him back from Marseille just to loan him out again. They might as well sell.”

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