France and Arsenal star William Saliba told what he’s missing to become the ‘best defender in the world’

Arsenal and France defender William Saliba at Euro 2024 (Picture: Getty)

William Saliba is lacking one thing to be considered the ‘best defender in the world’, according to ex-Premier League star Yohan Cabaye.

The Arsenal star, who will be in action for France on Friday night in their mouth-watering Euro 2024 quarter-final against Portugal, has enjoyed two sensational seasons in north London.

Arsenal fans were understandably questioning Saliba’s future at the club after he completed a £27m move from Saint-Etienne in 2019, only to then spend the next three seasons back in France on loan.

But Saliba was finally integrated into Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad ahead of the 2022-23 campaign and the Frenchman has not looked back since, forming a superb centre-back partnership with Gabriel to turn Arsenal into one of the most solid teams in England.

Saliba has not only starred for Arsenal but also France, featuring in all four of their games so far at the Euros, helping Didier Deschamps’ side keep three clean sheets and progress to the quarter-finals.

Cabaye, who played with Saliba in France, insists his former team-mate is a ‘very, very good defender’ – but says he needs to improve one thing to be regarded as ‘the best in the world’.

‘Is William Saliba the best defender in the world right now? I don’t know,’ Cabaye told Ladbrokes.

Former Premier League star Yohan Cabaye (Picture: Getty)

‘But I’ve known him for a long time now. I knew him at Saint-Etienne, and you could see the potential there. 

‘I knew that if he kept working hard with the same mentality, he was going to go on to be a proper defender, performing on this kind of stage. 

‘He loves those one-on-one battles, he’s really strong, and you only have to look at how he dealt with Romelu Lukaku to know how important a player Saliba is. 

‘Technically, he’s so relaxed on the ball, and so good at finding the right ball and starting attacks. 

‘For me, he’s a very, very, very good defender. He’ll be a complete defender when he’s able to score more goals, from set-pieces. 

‘Sometimes his headers aren’t quite at the top level, but other than that, he’s a special player. For me, he’s the best French player in the Premier League right now.’

If France beat Portugal in Friday night’s epic quarter-final they will face hosts Germany or in-form Spain in the Euros semi-final.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.