"He could play for Real Madrid right now" - Ian Wright makes emphatic claim about Arsenal star

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has lavished praise on William Saliba after his performance against Manchester City. The Englishman believes the French defender is worthy of a spot in Real Madrid's talented first team given his current form.

The Gunners secured a 1-0 victory over the reigning English champions in a hard-fought encounter at the Emirates on Sunday, October 8. Things were level until the 86th minute, when second-half substitute Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock.

The Brazilian attacker's powerful shot ricocheted off of Nathan Ake's head and into the back of the net, securing all three points for Arsenal.

Wright has lauded Saliba's abilities as a centre-back, claiming that Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland perceives the Frenchman as his main obstacle in the box.

The former Arsenal striker said on his podcast (as quoted by The Boot Room):

“I think [Erling] Haaland will see William Saliba as the defender that, ‘I need to be on my game today’. I know we’ve had games where they’ve still scored against us but Saliba is just getting better. Two of the biggest signings was him and [Bukayo] Saka, obviously we knew Saka was going to sign."

Wright added:

"You have to look at him and think to yourself, he could play for Real Madrid right now, no danger. He could play for any of them, could play for anyone he wants. So, for us to sign him up because he’s at that age where you think, where are you going now?"

The former Arsenal forward concluded:

"In the Premier League, I don’t care what anyone says it is the best league in the world and he’s here, he’s here for another four years, he’s only going to enhance himself and get better."

After some initial struggles at Arsenal, when he failed to get into the first team and spent time away from the club on loan, Saliba has become an instrumental player under Mikel Arteta.

The France international played a huge role in Arsenal's vehement title push last season, registering 27 Premier League appearances.

Arsenal star William Saliba expected to feature in Chelsea clash despite missing international break due to injury

Saliba played out the entire 90 minutes against Manchester City and put in a great performance, keeping arguably their biggest threat in Haaland largely at bay. However, the France international is set to miss the international break due to a chronic toe injury, according to the Evening Standard.

The outlet claims that he did not sustain the injury during the win over City, but has been wrestling with it for a number of weeks. The French defender is expected to return to fitness ahead of Arsenal's league clash against Chelsea on 21 October.

This will certainly be a relief for Mikel Arteta's side, as Bukayo Saka remains sidelined since his injury in their Champions League loss to RC Lens. The England international missed the Manchester City fixture as well and has not been called up for international duty.