Ex-Arsenal players once labeled breakout Gunners star as ‘League One-level’: Reports

While William Saliba has established himself as a crucial player for Arsenal this season, the Frenchman was doubted by his own teammates when he arrived in north London in 2020-21.

A few Gunners players, all of whom have since left the club, reportedly labeled the central defender as a 'League One-level' defender (according to ESPN). His poor positioning and clumsy tackling was said to be the reason behind this opinion.

Saliba was sent on three loan spells. Former club Saint-Etienne, OGC Nice and Olympique de Marseille were the three Ligue 1 clubs Saliba featured for before even making an appearance for the Gunners' senior team.

Since his return to the Emirates in the summer of 2022, Saliba has been exceptional. He is one of the most crucial cogs in Mikel Arteta's team. The Frenchman has helped Arsenal keep 10 clean sheets in 28 matches this season.

Speaking about his initial experience at the club, Saliba said (via the Gunners' official website):

“I didn’t play one single game here so I always thought about that. I couldn’t leave this amazing club without playing so I always had it in my head to come back and play."

Further focusing on the ongoing campaign, the defender added:

“Before I returned, I wanted to play every game but I didn’t know if that would happen. I worked hard and everyone at the club helped me to be a good starter, but it is not finished. I have to keep going and training hard because we are all good; even the players who don’t start. We are all at the same level so that’s good competition."

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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard opens up on handing Oleksandr Zinchenko the captaincy against Leicester City

Oleksandr Zinchenko was named the captain for Arsenal's Premier League away clash against Leicester City on February 25.

Martin Odegaard is the Gunners' designated captain. Zinchenko, however, was named the captain in a nice gesture to mark a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.

The Ukrainian full-back was named captain in solidarity with the unrest in his home country. Odegaard wrote about the incident in his program notes (via the Gunners' official website):

"I was really happy to give Zinny the armband for the game. I knew that the Premier League were paying respects to Ukraine at the weekend’s matches, with all captains wearing special armbands, so we discussed it a bit in the dressing room with other players, then I went to the manager to ask him if we should give it to Zinny. He thought it was a good idea."

Odegaard is on the scoresheet as Arsenal are currently leading Everton by a 3-0 scoreline at the Emirates at the time of writing.