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For months now, the narrative has been that Declan Rice will be among a cluster of midfielders in the league to be up for player of the season.
In fairness to Rice, he has been outstanding all season, rarely dropping below a 7/10 in terms of performance level.
He is being tipped, alongside Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, to be among those who are right in the running to be top dog at the end of season awards.
However, while Rice has been brilliant, Arsenal have another top performer who has quietly gone about his business with minimal fuss but maximum quality.
And that man, is William Saliba.
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty ImagesWilliam Saliba should be in the conversation for Arsenal’s player of the season
Every Arsenal fan will tell you that William Saliba is a class act. At just £27m, he’s turning out to be one of the best signings Arsenal have made in recent times.
But for some reason, he seems to be getting no mention of being the player of the season and that is just wrong.
Saliba has been the quiet foundation in which Arsenal have built all their success this season. While Gabriel often gets headlines for goals or flash points in games, Saliba remains a calm and unassuming presence at the back.
You’re Mikel Arteta…who is your NUMBER ONE big summer signing this year?
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Saliba has played 46 times for Arsenal this season and helped keep a whopping 23 clean sheets in those appearances. Furthermore, he has only been dribbled past six times this season, a league low.
In terms of passing – a crucial metric in any Mikel Arteta side – Saliba averages over 92% passing accuracy in both Europe and the Premier League.
Carrying on his impressive statistics, Saliba has only actually been booked once all season as well, which, for a defender, is quite something.
Declan RiceWilliam SalibaAppearances4446Goals41Minutes played36123863Tackles161107Progressive carries9175Declan Rice v William Saliba this season
That itself shows just how in control Saliba is of his game and opponents.
Put simply, this is a defender who has reached the levels of Virgil van Dijk from a few years ago.
And right now, he deserves to be in the picture for the best player this season.
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