Mikel Arteta makes an awkward joke about when he knew that William Saliba and Gabriel would be the perfect couple
Mikel Arteta has a sensational centre-back pairing in William Saliba and gabriel.
He Arsenal The defenders received plenty of praise following the Gunners' 0-0 draw with their title rivals. city of manchester the Sunday that saw them save mortal stars Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne cornered
Gunners fans have fallen in love with the centre-back pairing over the last season, with Saliba joining Gabriel in artetaThe bottom line of last season after three consecutive loans.
Arsenal fans often joke that Arteta should have realized that the perfect defensive duo was sitting under his nose the entire time, and now, the Spaniard himself has laughed about it.
Asked about the moment he knew the pair would be a long-term couple at his pre-Luton press conference, Arteta smiled and said: “When I decided with Edu and the club to send Willy to Marseille.
“At that moment…”
And after an awkward silence, he added: “No, I'm just joking.”
Saliba signed for Arsenal in 2019 from Saint-Etienne for £27m at the age of 18, but had to wait until August 2022 to make his Arsenal debut.
Loans to Saint-Etienne, Nice and finally Marseille saw Saliba gain vital experience, but it sparked much speculation that his time at the Emirates was over before it even began.
However, since his return, the Frenchman has been a pillar in Arteta's defense. The only time he has been absent since then was at the end of last season when he suffered a back injury in the Europa League.
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The 23-year-old has started every Premier League game this season (with Gabriel alongside him in every game except two) as the Gunners look to win their first league title since 2004.
After finishing his joke about the decision to loan Saliba, Arteta praised his defensive duo.
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He said: “You feel it when you see the partnership. Sometimes there is a chemistry between two players who complement each other.
“They're really happy to work together and for each other. It just flows. They really enjoy playing together and they've been really good.”
Arteta will expect the duo to return to full fitness this week as Arsenal look to get back on top when they face Luton. exclusively live on talkSPORT on Wednesday night.
