"If VVD is the Rolls-Royce, then he has to be a Bentley right now" - Kevin Campbell on Arsenal defender

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has compared Gunners defender William Saliba with Liverpool's defensive talisman Virgil van Dijk.

Saliba has been one of the brightest players in Mikel Arteta's squad this preseason. The centre-back has produced outstanding performances in the last couple of days.

The Frenchman spent last season on loan at Olympique Marseille, where he impressed. Saliba made 51 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants across competitions before getting recalled by Arteta this summer. Campbell believes the defender needed that loan stint to take his game to his current level.

“He plays effortlessly,” the Englishman told the Highbury Squad about Saliba. “He plays alongside Gabriel effortlessly. It looks like they have been playing together for years already. Was it the Orlando game when he came off the bench? He just shut everything down. It was just easy. I really think he needed that extra year at Marseille."

Campbell then compared Saliba to Liverpool's defensive powerhouse Virgil van Dijk:

“I don’t want to say he (Saliba) is VVD (Virgil van Dijk) because he’s not VVD, at the moment, the former Gunners striker continued. "But if VVD is the Rolls-Royce, then he (Saliba) has to be a Bentley right now. He’s got to be."

“He’s smooth, unflustered, and he’s got the speed. If he gets caught out, he’s got the speed, and we are talking about Werner against Chelsea; he (Saliba) had the speed to get back and block it. The most impressive thing I have seen from him is his passing from the back. It’s excellent. I know it’s pre-season. And we have waited a long time for it,” the Englishman added.

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How Arsenal have fared in preseason this summer?

It's been an exceptional outing for William Saliba in preseason this summer.

Arsenal kickstarted their preseason with a 5-3 triumph over Nurmberg on July 8. They followed that up with a 2-0 victory over Everton and a 3-1 win against Orlando City before beating Chelsea 4-0 in their next outing.

Up next, Arsenal will lock horns with Sevilla in the Emirates Cup final on July 30 to round up their preseason. It remains to be seen if they can carry their impressive form into the Premier League, which starts next month.