The transfer fee list in football once belonged exclusively to the striker. However, starting with Van Dijk, the value of the center-back players has also been rising. How sought-after is a talented centre-back under the age of 20? The major giants are all eyeing the limited scarce resources.
Arsenal bought Saliba, who is only 18 years old, for more than 30 million euros three years ago, and now has a month to go before he turns 21 and is already one of the best defenders in Ligue 1. After buying it and "observing" for 3 years, will Salibba, who has only the last 2 years of the contract, return to the Gunners this summer?
Arsenal bought for 3 years without being humane!
Will Salibba reciprocate with loyalty?
In the summer of 2019, Arsenal bought the 18-year-old Saliba for a transfer fee of more than €30 million (£27m) and then leased him back to Saint-Etienne for a year.
In the summer of 2020, Salibba came to the Premier League but failed to play for Arsenal's first team, even in the U21 echelon.
According to the team reporter, because in November 2020, Salibba's parents both passed away, which hit him hard. So in the following 1 and a half seasons, Salibba was loaned back to Ligue 1 to adjust his mood. He played for Nice and then Marseille and played at a high standard.
This summer, Saliba's contract with Arsenal will be only the last two years left. Will the gunmen bring him back to London? Previously, it was reported that Saliba had entered Real Madrid's reinforcement radar.
In fact, this 20-year-old centre-back with excellent foot skills, tall but fast speed is quite suitable for the style of La Liga. Whether it is Real Madrid or Barca, it will not come as a surprise that he is interested.
Good foot ability & physical fitness is an advantage
Salibba's advantage is good foot technique, whether it is the possession, delivery and dribbling of the ball on the offensive end, or the foot on the defensive end and the card position movement using the body, there is a good accuracy.
His flaw is that the selection of positions when the front top and back fall defense and the decision to find someone when changing defenses for the second time are not good enough, more often it is suitable for one-on-one intimidation, and it is easy to have brain blanks after changing defenses.
Statistically, he doesn't seem to have completely crushed Arsenal's current main centre-back, but in terms of physical talent and foot ability in the game, it is indeed full of talent.
It can be clearly seen from the GIF that this time Saliba has a great one-on-one advantage when he inserts in front of his opponent. He has speed (although the turn is not very fast), and at the same time has a very good level of use of upper body movements and lower three-way out of the foot when carded.
Many fans will remember that during this season's game against Paris, Salibba chased the tackle this time to destroy Mbappe's single knife, so that Messi's clever pass lost the opportunity to assist.
Among the top five leagues in 2021, among players with more than 50 steals, Salibba has a 75% success rate, second only to DeFrey. The accuracy of his technical movements does not need to be questioned.
More importantly, Salibba has good flexibility, so he also has the ability to extend his feet to intercept during the movement.
These features allow Saliba to even make a cameo appearance at right-back, which is also good for use in Marseille. If Arsenal makes him a rotation of Fuan Jianyang in the future, there should be no problem. It is even said that Salibba is fully prepared to join other top giants.
The technique at the foot is good: the ability to organize a secondary attack in the middle circle
Despite being 1.93 metres tall, the 20-year-old Saliba's header wasn't good enough (this can be practiced, he's not bad at jumping), but the defense at his feet is more reliable. In addition to being able to break the ball at his feet, Salibba's ability to control the ball is also excellent. The 71% success rate in Ligue 1 this season is quite conspicuous.
This gave Saliba the ability to organize an attack in the mid-circle, this time he first deftly slammed the ball to tease his opponent, and then accurately sent it to his teammates in the attacking third zone, instantly launching an attack on the core area.
Looking at this attack again, Salibba saw that there was no good chance to play at the near end near the midline, so he made a long and accurate pass to find Paye in the far diagonal position. This is a characteristic of Saliba, and his short and long passes are very good.
In terms of physical condition and offensive and defensive characteristics, Saliba and Barca centre-back Araujo have a lot to compare. Saliba's foot skills are much better, and Araujo's direct attack in the opponent's penalty area will be stronger. Meanwhile, Saliba and Araujo are both strong one-on-one defensive qualities, but have a flawed sense of space protection when switching and secondary landings.
In contrast, Saliba would be more talented than Araujo. If Barca are ultimately unable to renew Their contract with Araujo, the possibility of the team buying Saliba with a strong shot is not ruled out. After all, Barca's long-term focus on Arsenal's players is not surprising.
As can be seen from the GIF, after the ball was broken this time, he snatched back the ball for the first time, and then attacked at the ribs by taking the ball and carrying the ball, showing a strong foot ability. These characteristics are very much needed by Barca.
Looking at the offensive and defensive conversion this time, as a defender there will always be mistakes, the key point is that Saliba has long and flexible legs, and has the ability to rebound at the first time. After the break, Saliba organized the advance, or has a very good level.
Conclusion
The 20-year-old Saliba is already one of the best defenders in Ligue 1 and arsenal didn't leave him last summer in a bit of a mystery. Salibba, who has only 2 years left on his contract this summer, will have more options.
Would he consider going to a better team? It may depend on whether he will be grateful for Arsenal's decision to loan him back to Ligue 1 after he lost his parents.