France legend Marcel Desailly has issued an apology to countryman William Saliba.
The Arsenal defender has formed a totemic partnership with Gabriel, as the pair recently surpassed John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho to go second amongst partnerships that have kept the most clean sheets since 2000, behind only Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
Marcel Desailly admitted he never saw Saliba’s level comingDesailly, who won the World Cup and Champions League in between 116 French caps, was initially reticent to heap praise on the 24-year-old.
But Saliba has since earned 31 France caps and made 160 appearances, earning praise from across the footballing world, including from Desailly himself.
Saliba joined Arsenal in 2019 but only made his first appearance in 2022 (Image credit: Getty Images)Speaking to Card Player, he said: “I have to apologise to William Saliba. I looked at him when he first joined Arsenal and I didn’t see him becoming a world-class player – that was a huge misjudgement!
“He has shown leadership, consistency and he has such a high ceiling; we haven’t even seen the best of him yet. I’m so proud of him, especially with how he’s cemented himself into Mikel Arteta’s system and become a crucial player for them.
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The club was desperate for leaders a few years ago, and Saliba is now part of the leadership group there. He’s helped take the Gunners to the next level and allowed them to challenge for major trophies.
“France are so lucky to have him too; they can rely on a brilliant centre-back in him at the upcoming World Cup.
“He’s a really valuable asset to both his club and country, and I look forward to seeing how good he can become.”
Gabriel & Saliba now have the second-most Premier League clean sheets for a centre-back partnership since 2000 📈🧱 pic.twitter.com/ZjE05wsp9wJanuary 20, 2026
Arsenal sit seven points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa at the summit of the Premier League, but Desailly isn’t ready to place the title in their hands just yet.
He said: “The Premier League is far from over and stranger things have happened in football – that’s what makes it such an amazing game. Arsenal need to be careful by not becoming too distracted by the Champions League or other domestic competitions like the FA Cup.
“They can’t afford to lose any key games that might knock the wind out of their sails, such as their match this weekend against Manchester United.
“Being able to recover psychologically from a defeat in a big game is vitally important, but not every team can do it. We’ve seen many times in the past where a result has had a spiralling effect on a team, and they never really recover to their previous standards.”
