Jamie Carragher claims Arsenal star would be England's 'best centre-back' if he played for them
Former Liverpool defender reckons Arsenal centre-back William Saliba would have been one of England's best centre-backs had he played for the Three Lions. The 23-year-old will represent France at the upcoming Euro 2024 but isn't a guaranteed starter.
Saliba is coming off a fabulous 2023-24 season with the Gunners, appearing in every minute of their Premier League campaign, becoming the first player to do so for the club. The Frenchman helped Mikel Arteta's side keep 18 clean sheets in the division's meanest defence, conceding 29 times, conceding five less than champions Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Euros looks a bit light on defence after the injured Harry Maguire missed out on a place in the 26-man final roster.
Considering the defensive options at the Three Lions' disposal, Carragher reckons Saliba would have been an automatic pick in Southgate's squad (as per Telegraph via Football London):
"You look at someone like Saliba. He very rarely gets a chance. I think he'd be our best centre-back. He would be an absolute shoo-in in the England team.
"My one worry for England, coming up against France, Mbappe and Griezmann, two of the best in the world, I'm not sure we've got the defenders who can stop them."
Saliba has made 14 appearances for Les Bleus since his senior debut in March 2022.
Three Arsenal players in England's squad for Euro 2024
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is one of three Gunners players to be selected in Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for the upcoming European Championship in Germany. The other two are goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and attacker Bukayo Saka.
Eleven Gunners players will represent various teams in the competition, the most by a Premier League club after Manchester City, who have 14. The Cityzens also have three players in the Three Lions' Euro 2024 squad: Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and John Stones.
Arsenal are coming off a decent season, pushing City all the way before falling short by two points on the final day of the Premier League. They also fared well on their UEFA Champions League return after six years, making their first quarterfinal since 2014 (losing 3-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich).