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<\/p>\nWILLIAM GALLAS has insisted that Arsenal defender William Saliba is NOT world class.<\/p>\n
Saliba, 22, joined the Gunners from Saint-Etienne in 2019 but only established himself as a first team regular last summer.<\/p>\n
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Since making his Premier League debut at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, the centre-back has become one of the most important players in Mikel Arteta's squad.<\/p>\n
The likes of Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have all heaped praise on him in recent months.<\/p>\n
However, Gallas is not convinced that he is among the world's best defenders.<\/p>\n
The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham star told Lord Ping: "Let\u2019s calm down about William Saliba.<\/p>\n
"That\u2019s a problem with the modern media, and discussions like this aren't good for the players. Some of them can\u2019t deal with that pressure.<\/p>\n "I like Saliba, and I think he\u2019s a really good player, but as far as I\u2019m concerned, the best defenders in the world have to play in their national teams and be a constant in their starting XI.<\/p>\n "Saliba isn\u2019t a starter for France yet, but when he\u2019s in the line-up and he\u2019s performing as well as he does at club level, then we can discuss him being the world\u2019s best defender.<\/p>\n "At the moment, he could be one of the best defenders in Europe. There\u2019s a difference."<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS<\/strong><\/p>\n When listing the players that he believes are world class, Gallas added: "Thiago Silva comes to mind when thinking about truly world-class defenders.<\/p>\n "He was great in the past, and he\u2019s great now, even at his age. I also like Josko Gvardiol, and he\u2019s a great example of a player who adapted to a new system straight away.<\/p>\n "Look at how he plays now compared to how he played at RB Leipzig \u2013 the way he\u2019s adapted is unbelievable and he\u2019s a world-class defender.<\/p>\n "There\u2019s also Raphael Varane. He may not be at his best at the moment, but what he\u2019s achieved speaks for itself.<\/p>\n "Virgil van Dijk is great, too, even if he\u2019s not quite been the same since his injury. He was top-class back then, but he\u2019s making some mistakes now. He\u2019s not perfect, but he\u2019s still very good.<\/p>\n "I\u2019d say those are the world-class defenders I can think of."<\/p>\n Saliba is expected to star for Arsenal this weekend when the Gunners face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/GM_17-10_MATCH-PREVIEW-CLASH_ENGvSAFRI_COMBO.jpg\")
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