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Jamie Carragher is “surprised” that Mikel Arteta has continued to overlook William Saliba despite Arsenal’s poor start to the season.
Saliba, 19, is still awaiting his Gunners debut despite arriving in North London last summer following a £ 27 million transfer from Saint-Etienne in 2019.
Arsenal manager Arteta explained last month that Saliba is going through a “transition” phase as the young Frenchman adjusts to life in England.
But the center-back made his frustration over his plight clear in a recent video, as he was sent off by the Under-21s earlier this week in a 3-0 Papa Johns Trophy loss to AFC Wimbledon.
Given Arsenal’s struggles this season, Carragher can’t understand why Arteta hasn’t turned to Saliba and his other young talents more often.
(Image: Getty Images)
“Arteta can get on the right track by working with the top-notch youngsters coming out of his academy, with the help of the right variety of more experienced players,” Carragher said. The Daily Telegraph .
“Bukayo Saka is one of the most exciting young players in England.
“I am surprised that we have not seen more teenage defender William Saliba since his signing from Saint-Etienne, even though the youngster was sent off playing for the club’s Under 21s earlier this week.
(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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“Arteta must bet his reputation on them while eliminating those who do not conform to the philosophy, building a younger and more active team over the course of two or three windows to correct the mistakes of the last five or six.”
Former Liverpool and England defender Carragher also warned Arteta not to stray too far from the counter-attack formula that gave Arsenal great results last season.
And he added: “Arteta impressed me last year because he knew how to win by sacrificing certain ideals to reflect the limitations of the squad he inherited.
“The mistake this season has been to seek to impose the game of possession of [Pep] Guardiola’s Manchester City every week when the quality is not there yet. the [2-0] the defeat at Tottenham Hotspur was the bleakest example.
“Arteta knows that the reason Guardiola’s system works so brilliantly is that each player works in sync. There are no passengers and in their prime they work just as tirelessly without the ball as with it.”
Has Mikel Arteta made a mistake by not involving William Saliba in the first team this season? Give us your opinion here.
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