Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has backed one of his younger teammates to become a superstar in the coming years.
Mikel Arteta has built a terrific squad at the Emirates, hasn’t he?
Arsenal are arguably the best team in the Premier League right now having scored the most goals, conceded the least and been incredibly consistent for large parts of the season.
The Gunners have been so good that they’re challenging for the title even though players like Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli haven’t been at their best this term.
That should tell you this young team is here to stay, and many at Arsenal have the potential to go on and become one of the best players in the world.
Jesus has now heaped praise on one of them.
Gabriel Jesus shares what it’s like facing William Saliba in Arsenal training
Arsenal signed William Saliba from Saint Etienne back in the summer of 2019, when Unai Emery was still at the club.
The Frenchman was among the best young defenders in Europe at the time, and many people in the game were convinced that Arsenal had struck gold.
However, Saliba didn’t get a chance at Arsenal until the opening game of last season. He spent three spells away on loan and there was even a point when people felt he had no future at the Emirates.
However, Mikel Arteta’s plan for Saliba has worked brilliantly, and the France international is one of the first names on the team sheet every week.
Gabriel Jesus has played with and against some of the best defenders in the world over the years. He knows a good centre-back when he sees one.
When asked about Saliba, the Brazilian branded him as a ‘very special’ player and backed him to become one of the best in the world one day.
Jesus told Arsenal.com: “Everyone knows how good he is, but not only him – he and Gabriel match up perfectly, and I think Gabi has helped him a lot.
“Off the pitch, he (Saliba) is one of the funniest guys here, but not because he’s joking all the time. It’s just the way he is. He’s very special.”
When asked how Saliba compares to the best defenders he has faced, Jesus added: “It’s hard to play against him!
“I’ve never played against him in a match, only in training, but even then it’s hard because he’s so sharp and hard to beat.
“We are all working hard to improve and if he carries on doing that he can be one of the best, for sure.”
William Saliba’s current transfer value proves he’s the best in the world
Arsenal signed William Saliba for just £27 million in 2019 (Goal).
The Frenchman, despite not playing a minute of football for the Gunners in his first three years at the club, was always viewed as a very valuable asset.
Since his debut in August 2022, his transfer value has progressively gone up and once he signed his new contract last year, it shot up even more.
Now, according to CIES Football Observatory, Saliba is worth £85.6 million. He is the most valuable defender on the planet right now, ahead of the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Antonio Rudiger and even his good pal Gabriel Magalhaes.
Arsenal don’t have any plans to sell Saliba, but if they have to at some point, they are almost guaranteed to make a huge profit on him.
The post 'He's very special': Gabriel Jesus says Arsenal have a 23-year-old player who can soon become 'one of the best' appeared first on TBR Football.