William Saliba: Arsenal-owned defender shows Arteta what he's missing
Arsenal-owned defender William Saliba produced another good performance for Nice on Saturday evening during their Ligue 1 clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Although Nice lost 2-1 to the French giants, Saliba more than held his own against PSG's star-studded attackers.
PSG v Nice: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
It was the latest positive display from the teenager since his January loan move from Arsenal. Let's take a look at how he performed in detail.
📷 William Saliba: Match Snapshot
Saliba was the best-performing centre-back on the pitch, playing the entire game and earning a 6.8 FC rating.
He performed well both offensively and defensively. He won all of his tackles and aerial duels, as well as making four interceptions, three recoveries, two clearances and winning three duels in total.
Saliba's pace meant that Nice were able to push high up the pitch, without worrying about the pace of Kylian Mbappe, Moise Kean and PSG's other speedy attackers.
The 19-year-old boasted an impressive 92 per cent pass completion rate and only gave the ball away six times. Only Idrissa Gueye gave the ball away fewer times on the day.
〽️ Saliba: Rating Week-on-Week
✔️ IMPROVEMENT
Saliba has played consistently well since his January loan move from Arsenal.
He earned a 6.8 FC Rating on Saturday versus the best team in France.
This was a narrow improvement from his 6.7 FC Rating from the 3-1 midweek win at Nimes in the Coupe de France.
All his last six games for Nice have produced a FC Rating between 6.7 and 7.3. He has not dropped lower than 6.5 since his Nice debut on January 6, highlighting just how steady he has been since returning to France.
Saliba: What Next?
Saliba is on loan at Nice until the end of the season - and he has stated that his focus right now is purely on playing as well as he can until May.
His partnership with fellow January arrival - Jean-Clair Todibo from Barcelona - promises to be an excellent one.
Nice are next in action against Marseille in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, hoping to move up the table. They are currently in 14th position.
Looking further ahead, it remains to be seen whether Saliba has a future at Arsenal.
Saliba has been outspoken in his disappointment at how he was treated by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the lack of opportunities he was offered.
So far in 2021, Saliba has certainly shown Arteta that he had something to offer this season at the Emirates.
PSG v Nice: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats