Arsenal stars Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have shone over the last two seasons (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal legend Ray Parlour says he agrees with Frank Lampard’s claim that William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have a way to go before they can be compared to some of the great centre-back partnerships of the past.
Saliba, 23, and Gabriel, 26, have played an integral role at the heart of Arsenal’s defence over the last two seasons and both players were deservedly named in the PFA Team of the Year last term.
It has been a similar story at the start of this campaign, with the Gunners conceding just five goals in six league games as opposing strikers struggle to get the better of the imposing pair.
Since joining forces, Saliba and Gabriel have been likened to a number of iconic centre-back partnerships of yesteryear, including Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, as well as Arsenal’s own Tony Adams and Martin Keown.
But earlier this week, Lampard immediately shut down comparisons between the Arsenal duo and long-time team-mates John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, widely considered to be Chelsea’s greatest centre-back pairing in history.
Asked whether Gabriel and Saliba were comparable with Terry and Carvalho, Lampard told Amazon Prime: ‘No, not yet.
‘If they go and win two or three Premier Leagues and a Champions League then maybe you can compare them.
Carvalho and Terry formed one of the greatest centre-back partnerships in Premier League history (Picture: Getty)
‘Listen, I’m not putting them down. They are fantastic, young and they’re growing all the time.
‘It’s not fair to make that comparison because this is all ahead of them. But at this point, no.
‘But what they’re doing at the minute is great things. But yeah, win some stuff, boys, and you can get in that conversation fully.’
Saliba and Gabriel must win more trophies before they can be compared to the Premier League’s best, says Parlour (Picture: Getty)
It will come as no surprise that Chelsea fans tended to agree with Lampard’s point of view given the sheer number of trophies Terry and Carvalho got their hands on while sharing a dressing room at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking on talkSPORT, ex-Arsenal and England midfielder Parlour concurred, arguing that Saliba and Gabriel will have to win major silverware before they can ‘start going above’ the likes of Terry, Carvalho, Ferdinand and Vidic.
‘I’ll go with Frank. At the moment they are the best pairing,’ Parlour said.
‘It’s longevity isn’t it? If they can do it season-in, season-out then absolutely.
‘If you put John Terry and Saliba together, I know Gabriel’s a great player as well, but that could be a good partnership there.
‘What about Vidic and Ferdinand back in the day? If you go further back you’ve got the Arsenal back four and you go ever further back, Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson and Phil Thompson.
‘Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce back in the day… there have been some great centre-backs. It’s really difficult but I can see why Frank has gone with John Terry and Carvalho. Two top-class defenders.
‘But if Saliba and Gabriel can keep doing it year-in, year-out… they’re young still. Saliba is only 22 and Gabriel is only mid-20s so if they can do on a regular basis over seasons.
‘The biggest question now, Frank has said that because they [Terry and Carvalho] won trophies so if they [Saliba and Gabriel] can win trophies now, that’s when they start going above people.’
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