Marcel Desailly has revealed he ‘expects’ William Saliba to move to Real Madrid after developing into the ‘best defender in the world’ at Arsenal.
Saliba has been one of the key figures in Arsenal’s stingy defence in recent years, helping the Gunners twice finish second in the Premier League before last season’s huge title win.
The 25-year-old, who is currently at the World Cup with tournament favourites France, joined Arsenal in a £27m move from Saint-Etienne in 2019.
Much was expected of Saliba following his arrival from Ligue 1 but he took a while to win over Mikel Arteta, who sent the defender back to France on loan before finally integrating him into his first-team squad.
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Saliba soon established himself as not only one of the best players at Arsenal but in the Premier League, however, and Desailly says he is now the ‘best centre-back’ in world football.
‘Who do I think is the best centre-back in the world? It’s not Virgil van Dijk,’ ex-Chelsea captain Desailly told Sportscasting. ‘He has his level, we know, there’s no doubt he’s a great defender.
‘But on some occasions, he has shown a little bit of weakness. It’s also probably due to his past injury; in 1v1 situations, he is no longer exceptional like he was before, though he’s still a great player.
‘I would put William Saliba there, even though he has some problems with his back, I think he’s in the conversation for the world’s best centre back.
‘Saliba is definitely one of the best ones. Gabriel is only there because of Saliba – so Gabriel, no, he’s not in the conversation.
‘Who else can we say? At Manchester United, there’s nothing. Chelsea, not at that level. Inter Milan, AC Milan, absolutely not.
‘So I would say Saliba is part of the defensive elite who have that consistency and are capable of winning their 1v1s no matter who comes across them.’
Saliba was heavily linked with Spanish giants Real Madrid before signing a new long-term deal with Arsenal in the summer of 2025.
The Frenchman is contracted to the Gunners until 2030 but Desailly still believes he is destined to play for Madrid.
Asked whether he expects Saliba to move to the Bernabeu at some point in his career, Desailly added: ‘Yes, yes. I do expect William Saliba to one day wear the colours of Real Madrid.
‘He’s committed to Arsenal for the next, I don’t know, four years. But he’s young, so why not? The door is open, and all the best players want to play for Real Madrid at some point in their careers.
‘The door is open. But not now. Not now. He is the best central defender, so it is what it is today.’
Saliba’s current focus is on France’s World Cup campaign with Didier Deschamps’ side preparing to face Paraguay for a place in the quarter-finals.
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