Arsenal: William Saliba already two step ahead of Mavropanos

Everyone can’t wait to see what William Saliba can be at Arsenal and, on the bright side, he’s already ahead of Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Arsenal‘s defense is going to look so damn good next season it’s gonna be mental. I know I gush about it a lot, but Mikel Arteta has worked literal magic in turning David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi into a defense that doesn’t give up a crapton of goals per match.

In fact, they give up less than a goal a game. Combined. Two of the biggest defensive “clowns” out there. United in sturdiness.

Next season, we’ll be starting with fresh faces and the same defensive philosophy that Arteta has already used to rejuvenate a dead defense. Namely, William Saliba, who has joined the club from Saint-Etienne and is looking to get his footing in the starting XI.

Saliba can be what Arsenal wanted Mavropanos to be

Saliba isn’t the first young defender ticketed for big things, however. It was just a few years back that Konstantinos Mavropanos made the exact same move after being picked out by the certifiable genius, Sven Mislintat.

When Mavropanos arrived, however, Arsene Wenger expected nothing from him. He expected to send him out on loan because he wasn’t ready for the top flight in England. He was proven wrong, of course, but initial reports were he wasn’t ready.

For Saliba, the opposite is true. Speaking with The Athletic, Saint-Etienne manager Claude Puel, who also spent several years managing in the Premier League, said that Saliba is absolutely ready to make an immediate impact.

Which puts him one leg up on Mavropanos already. And if you’re asking why I’m bothering to compare, it’s because Mavropanos has sputtered since his arrival and we really can’t risk that happening to Saliba too.

However, Saliba also has the massive, massive leg up on Mavropanos of just being a part of the new defensive era at the Emirates. Mavropanos came at a time when the Wenger era was coming to an end and the great unknown lay ahead. Saliba is coming at a time when he can be the centerpiece of a new era. All he has to do is take his chances.

I haven’t lost faith in Mavropanos. I just feel like he got lost in translation, but those growing pains that he is facing in developing his game won’t be seen in William Saliba. There’s just too much working in his favor for that to happen.