Former Arsenal defender William Gallas has claimed that William Saliba can be a “disaster” sometimes and that’s why he’s not made his mark at international level.
Ever since he was introduced to the Gunners first-team in the summer of 2022, three years after he actually joined from Saint-Etienne, Saliba has barely looked back and established himself as one of the most highly rated central defenders in the Premier League. However, that hasn’t translated to success with the France national team.
Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps isn’t entirely convinced by Saliba, as shown by the fact he often gives the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano more game time, viewing them as above the Arsenal ace in the pecking order.
That’s a decision that hasn’t always gone down well with fans, both of the Gunners and the France national team. However, ex-Gunner Gallas has explained that Saliba can’t expect to walk in to the France side given the level of competition around him and his own shortcomings.
“Unfortunately, it’s difficult for William Saliba to be in the France eleven because you have Konaté and Upamecano,” he told GFFN. “Sometimes Saliba can be magnificent, but sometimes he can be a disaster as he’s not consistent.
“That’s why it’s a big problem for Didier Deschamps to know exactly who is going to be the number one, or the partnership at centre-back!”
Deschamps recently addressed Saliba’s lack of minutes himself at a press conference during the international break. “He is having a good season, but he also does things that I don’t like so much,” the World Cup winner told reporters.
“For France, he has limited game time, but when he plays, that hasn’t necessarily gone well. The hierarchy doesn’t favour him at the moment, but he is here. Dayot Upamecano has had game time and perhaps William has had less.
“With certain players, I make sure to persevere, because it can be confidence or little blockages that can shift. Some don’t have any concerns, some need game time. William has had less game time, so that doesn’t allow him to be very calm.”
At club level, Saliba continues to shine, though not even he could prevent the Gunners from crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich. If Arsenal are going to turn their season around with six league games left, rest assured Saliba will be at the heart of things.
