England earned the right to be a top seed for the Euro 2024 draw | Football Digest
William Saliba might be one of the most recognisable faces in Mikel Arteta’s current Arsenal team, but the French international did not fare particularly well when he was asked to name a selection of Gunners from years gone by.
The 22-year-old centre-back made 27 league appearances last season as the north London club fell just short in their efforts to land a first Premier League title in 19 years, but he was forced to miss the final 11 games through injury.
Saliba has stayed in favour with Arteta this season, appearing in all 12 of Arsenal’s league matches so far this campaign, but while he is now a familiar face to fans on the terraces, his knowledge of former players leaves a bit to be desired.
In an interview with US outlet NBC Sports, the Frenchman was asked to identify a series of former players.
After failing to recognise Brazilian midfielder Denilson, Saliba said: “Wow! Hard ones today. No, I don’t know.”
Yaya Snago was next up and was successfully named by the current Arsenal man, who played against him during his time in France. But when goalkeeper Manuel Almunia appeared on screen, the perplexed star said: “I know his face but I forgot the name.”
Russian forward Andrey Arshavin was the next subject, whom Saliba identified, but had to correct himself after initially calling him [Tomas] Rosicky.
The defender had no idea when it came to trying to name Brazilian forward Eduardo, but Alex Song and Gervinho were easy pickings, allowing the rattled Gunner to regain some composure.
However, when Saliba was shown a photograph of retired centre-back Philippe Senderos, he said: “It is the coach of Everton?” referring to current Toffees boss Sean Dyche. The interviewer replied: “No, no, it looks like him! This one is a Swiss defender.”
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A laughing Saliba took in the information but still had no idea who he was. Senderos played seven seasons for Arsenal from 2003 until 2010, winning the FA Cup in 2005 before reaching the Champions League Final a year later.
Saliba started for France in Les Bleus’ final Euro 2024 qualifying match against Greece on Tuesday evening, with the match ending 2-2. Didier Deschamps’ team won seven of their eight matches, topping Group B.
Fortunately, it would seem that Saliba is far better at recognising his own teammates than he is at naming Arsenal stars from years gone by.
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