“If those players come out the team, the drop-off from that level is massive” – Rio Ferdinand names 2 most important players at Arsenal now

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has named the two most important players in Arsenal's squad at the moment. The retired England international insists that Gabriel Jesus and William Saliba have been extremely crucial to the Gunners' outstanding form this season.

Arsenal have made a dominant start to the 2022-23 Premier League campaign and are currently top of the league table, ahead of last year's champions, Manchester City.

The north London outfit have secured statement wins against top-six teams, including the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Mikel Arteta's side have won 11 of their 13 league fixtures and seem to be major title contenders this term. Arsenal completed a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 6 November after Gabriel Magalhaes found the back of the net in the second half.

Following the encounter, Ferdinand spoke about the Gunners' performance against the Blues and named the north London outfit's two most important players this campaign.

Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, Ferdinand said (via talkSPORT):

“Most important player is Gabriel Jesus or William Saliba. If those players come out the team, the drop-off from that level is massive. You could play Granit Xhaka in Thomas Partey’s position and get through a couple of games. But you won’t get the same output from someone who comes in for Jesus or Saliba.”

The Gunners will face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium on 13 November in their final Premier League fixture before the World Cup break.

“I don’t think he’s been bought to score 30 plus goals" - Rio Ferdinand explains why Arsenal signed Gabriel Jesus while issuing William Saliba claim

Following their win over Chelsea, Ferdinand further lavished praise on his two most important players in the Gunners' squad this season. The Englishman spoke about why Arsenal signed Jesus while reiterating Saliba's importance to the team.

He told BT Sport (via the Daily Express):

"I don’t think he’s [Jesus] been bought to score 30 plus goals. People are going to keep talking about goals. But he brings so much value that I’d argue, there wouldn’t be a bigger drop-off if he left the team bar William Saliba. You could make the same argument for Saliba maybe but he's so important to Arsenal and what they're doing."

The Gunners signed Jesus from Manchester City in the summer window for £45 million. The Brazilian striker has recorded five goals and six assists in 13 league appearances this season.

Saliba joined the club in 2019 from French outfit Saint-Etienne but never managed to break into the first team. The defender spent various loan spells at different clubs over the past few years.

However, the Frenchman has finally found his footing at the club amid a great run of form for the Gunners this season.