Against Tottenham and Harry Kane last weekend, no opponent completed a dribble against him.
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Quietly, but impressively, he is establishing his place in the team and comparisons with Virgil van Dijk are in full flow before Liverpool arrive at the Emirates on Sunday. In the end, it only took a few training sessions for everyone at Arsenal to realise what a gem they had. They liked what they saw from him in Ligue 1 last season (as did France coach Didier Deschamps, who called him up to the senior side in March) and Saliba's potential was too good to lose. PSG also kept an eye on him, while other big European clubs, like Barcelona, had him on their shortlists too, but Arsenal and Mikel Arteta were never going to let him go. Marseille wanted to keep him on a permanent deal and tried everything to do so in the last transfer window, but Arsenal rebuffed their proposal. Three years after signing for €30 million, he had spent his entire time out on loan to Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille to gain experience. Saliba was aware that not many people at the club knew him when he came back to London. He replicated the same sense of confidence when he joined Arsenal for preseason this past summer. So he had to be self-assured, solid and hungry, otherwise he would not have made the cut. Growing up in the Paris banlieues was tough: he learned the game by playing on the streets, on concrete, against bigger and stronger boys. He has supreme confidence in his own ability and is not fazed by pressure or expectations. However, more than his talent, Saliba's personality sets him apart from other players. Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) He'd only moved to the club's academy two years earlier after playing for many years with Bondy, in the north suburbs of Paris, where he is from, and with a certain Wilfried Mbappe - father of Kylian Mbappe - as a coach, before then starring with Montfermeil. Saliba's talent has been obvious since he made his Ligue 1 debut with Les Verts at 17 years old in September 2018. Yet his success and quick adaptation to one of the world's best leagues is no surprise if you know the former Saint-Etienne defender. The Paris-born-and-bred player is already a fans' favourite and, more importantly, has been one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League so far this season. The 21-year-old defender applauded the fans in thanks with a huge grin on his face. As Saliba was about to disappear into the tunnel, the whole stadium chanted his name in song.
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