William Saliba

French centre-back who became one of Europe's most promising defenders, starring for Arsenal and France national team with exceptional aerial ability.

William Saliba was born in Bondy, France in 2001. Arsenal paid £27 million for him in 2019 before immediately loaning him back to Saint-Etienne and then to Nice and Marseille — three loan seasons in France while Arsenal retained his rights. He finally made his Arsenal debut in 2022 — aged 21 — and immediately became one of the Premier League's finest centre-backs. His composure under pressure, passing range and the ease with which he handles one-on-one situations against elite forwards has generated consistent individual acclaim. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year in his debut full season. He was called up to France's squad for Euro 2024 — where he played as France reached the semi-final. His late-career development at Arsenal — the decision to wait three years before deploying him — is one of the Premier League's most patient individual development decisions and one that produced exceptional results.

Pacey centre-back with excellent aerial ability, ball-playing skills and leadership qualities

Widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world; ranked #1 centre-back in France and top-6 globally; backbone of Arsenal's Premier League-winning defence; role model from Bondy representing multicultural Paris suburbs

• Ligue 1 (2021,2022)
• Euro runner-up (France 2024)
• PFA Young Player finalist
• Ligue 1 2022
• Premier League 2025/26
• FA Cup 2019/20
• Community Shield 2023/24
• Community Shield 2020/21
• Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year 2021/22
• Ligue 1 Team of the Year 2021/22
• PFA Premier League Team of the Season 2022/23

Club Career

Club	Period	Fee	Apps	Goals	Shirt
Saint-Etienne	2018–2019	—	16	3	#12
Arsenal	2019–present	£27m	84	3	—
Marseille	2021–2022	loan	36	2	—
Nice	2020–2021	loan	20	1	—
France	—	—	19	1	—