You may not want to, but let’s throw our hearts in March 2023. Arsenal faces the sport in a knockout match in the Europa League, with William Saliba injured.
The replacement for the day was Rob Holding. Yes, it’s amazing how much progress this team has made since that day.
Holding was a loyal servant of the club, but he was not really of the quality of his weapon. I got used to it at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
After an injury on the European stage, Saliba didn’t play another minute of the season, causing the holdings to be pushed aside. That didn’t work at all. The Londoner only won five of his last 11 league matches, but missed the Premier League title.
The Central Defender scored against Manchester City, which took Manchester City, but lost in a match where Jamie Carrager described Erling Haaland vs Holding full-time as a “physical mismatch.”
The sequence of that game was Mikel Arteta’s learning curve, which would probably scare him to this day. Arsenal has been signing many defenders ever since how Saliba dealt with his latest injury retreat.
Please come in.
The stunning shape of Christian Mosquera for Arsenal
Holding, who? The level of progress from Arsenal’s backline is noteworthy since the central half of the UK set out for new meadows.
The Arteta layer of depth is now free to protect him. On the left back he can call Ricardo Calfioli, Miles Lewis Skelly and Piero Hincapie.
In the middle he can call Karafiori and Hincapie again, but right-backs Julien Timber and Ben White also have the ability to play as centre-backs if Saliva and Gabriel are absent.
There was no better situation, and Mosquera’s early form in London proves this.
While footballers can be very rarely described as modern market bargains, the £13 million Arsenal spent on Mosquera certainly looks like that.
It’s not surprising that Valencia called the police to report the robbery. How cheap is his price tag?
That’s because his latest two outings indicate that there is no drop-off in quality if Saliva or Gabriel is missing.
When the French central defender stepped in early in his defeat against Liverpool, all supporters feared the worst, but Arsenal’s new Spanish signature was against Cody Gakupo, Hugo Ekitique and Mohammed Sarah.
Yes, the hosts may have won at Anfield, but Mosquera was incredible, completing 92% of the passes and winning four out of five duels.
He was definitely even better against the forest. Saliba was still missing, but his young substitute, only 21 years old, never made a mistake with his foot.
On this occasion he held a clean sheet, completed 91% of his passes, losing only one of his four duels. Certainly impressive.
But surprisingly, the gunners may be brewing greater talent in the ranks of Hale End.
Introducing the best centre-back hale ending
When Arsenal announced the arrival of Mosquera in the summer, Andrea Berta found it difficult to hide his praise for the young defender.
Well, speaking of the future, there is a world where he can partner with one of the most promising talents in the club’s academy.
That player is Marlisarmon. At just 16 years old, he is already referred to as defender Max Dowman, and while he has not yet appeared on Arsenal’s competitive fixtures, he bowed his first team before the season.
Salmon was miles above his age and really stood out to feature both Milan and Newcastle at the heart of Arteta’s backline.
Against the Italian giant, the young defender played the final 24 minutes of that encounter and completed 94% of his passes. He introduced him to Newcastle for just 13 minutes, but then he looked at it again for a quick look. This time I completed 100% of my pass.
He is certainly made up of the back, and testimonies from those following Hale End show more closely that he can be at the level of Dowman.
Arsenal’s insider hand, where Saliba is currently being coached, says Salmon is “very highly regarded by everyone at the club,” suggesting he is “the best centre-back of his age.”
Well, data analyst Ben Matinson took a step further by suggesting that teenagers were “produced by the best centre-back Hale End.”
Owning a calmness like Saliba, Salmon’s talent seems immeasurable.
He’s not ready yet, but the fact that he went on a preseason tour of the club suggests that Arteta likes his appearance. These reviews suggest that he can become even greater talent than Mosquera. It’s certainly an exciting time.
