"I absolutely got that wrong" - Ex-Tottenham midfielder changes stance on Arsenal star; calls him the 'real deal'
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara has admitted that he was wrong about Arsenal defender William Saliba before the start of the season.
The French centre-back was signed by the Gunners three years ago and has been on-loan at three Ligue 1 clubs, namely Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille. The young defender finally made his Gunners debut against Crystal Palace last week, where he was named 'Man of the Match' following a 2-0 victory.
Complete and utter vindication. There's no other word for it. Vindication.
The signings (Zinchenko, Jesus), the player development (Saka, Martinelli, Saliba), the structure, the combinations, the press, the sustained pressure, the relentless quality.
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. https://t.co/I2cIE4asBr
After Saliba's outstanding start to the campaign, O'Hara changed his mind on the French international after previously stating that he was skeptical of his ability. The outspoken pundit told TalkSPORT:
“I wasn’t sure of him because he’d gone out on loan, I hadn’t seen him play loads. I was thinking maybe he wasn’t up to scratch to play for this team. And I’ll apologize, I absolutely got that wrong. He is the real deal, what a signing.
“What a player he is and I know that he’s young but he could be sensational. He’s still got things to work on, like his positioning, but he looks really, really good."
He added:
“But Arsenal will concede goals, in the full-back areas you can get at them. I like Oleksandr Zinchenko but he’s not great one vs one so I think that will be an issue for them position wise. But going forward...”
William Saliba’s first mistake couldn’t have happened in a better environment. The whole stadium backing him and the manager applauding him at full time. He was immense the whole game apart from that moment. He can only get better. Our jewel. 💎 https://t.co/mFuMIY5u5I
Mikel Arteta lauds Arsenal supporters for reaction to William Saliba own goal
The Gunners made it two wins from their opening two Premier League games as they saw off Leicester City in an entertaining clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal dominated much of the game and found themselves coasting 2-0 up before Saliba headed into his own net to halve the deficit. The north London club have been known to wilt in similar circumstances in the past, but they scored again shortly after to calm any nerves.
Speaking after the game, Arteta praised the reaction of the crowd following Saliba's error, as the Spaniard stated (as per The Evening Standard):
"What [the fans] did with Saliba after the own goal is something I’ve never seen anything like that in my career. I think it lifted Willy’s confidence."
He further added:
"I'm more happy today [with Saliba] than I was last week with Palace because of how he reacted to the own goal."
the Emirates absolutely ADORE Saliba🤣🫶 https://t.co/pvJhF3mYYY
Arsenal next face Bournemouth on Saturday, August 20.