William Saliba has become one of the best defenders in England (Picture: Getty)
Jamie Redknapp has argued that Arsenal defender William Saliba is ‘equal’ to Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven in terms of ability.
Saliba has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League after breaking into the first team under Mikel Arteta in the 2022-23 campaign.
The Frenchman claims Arsenal would’ve won the top-flight title last term if it wasn’t for his season-ending injury – as they missed out to Manchester City.
Arsenal are back at the top of the league this season with seven games left, with Saliba impressing again as he looks to become a Premier League champion.
North London rivals Spurs are not in the title race and are instead fighting for a top-four finish but Redknapp feels Van de Ven is already on Saliba’s level.
Van de Ven has made just 20 Premier League appearances for Spurs since his summer switch from Wolfsburg – while Saliba has played 58 top-flight games.
‘Arsenal fans will look at Saliba who is a great young defender as well, but I think this guy’s equally as good,’ Redknapp told Sky Sports about Van de Ven.
Micky van de Ven scored in Sunday’s win over Nottingham Forest (Picture: Getty)
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‘He’s got everything going for him. You see the difference when Spurs lost him when he had his hamstring injuries.
‘I think if he stays injury free there’s no reason why he can’t almost emulate what Virgil van Dijk’s done. When Virgil was a similar age, Virgil wasn’t producing the performances that he is right now.
‘He’s only going to get better, as long as he doesn’t get too many injuries along the way because that can affect with the hamstrings and the speed that he’s got, but he’s a top player, he really is.’
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