“He’s the most important Arsenal player at the moment and he’s the reason why they are where they are today, he deserves to be protected at all cost”- Brighton Coach Roberto De Zerbi reveals he’s only fearful of £50M Arsenal star and hopes he doesn’t play against them today- Player not Saka, not Odegard & not Rice

“He’s the most important Arsenal player at the moment and he’s the reason why they are where they are today, he deserves to be protected at all cost”- Brighton Coach Roberto De Zerbi reveals he’s only fearful of £50M Arsenal star and hopes he doesn’t play against them today- Player not Saka and not Odegard

Steve Nicol has suggested that he does not believe that Arsenal will win the Premier League title if one player, in particular, gets injured at any stage over the season.

Losing William Saliba really appeared to cost the Gunners last year. It is almost remarkable that the Frenchman went into last season still awaiting the chance to make his Premier League debut.

Saliba took absolutely no time at all to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the division. And his partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes certainly seemed to set the standard.

Steve Nicol suggests William Saliba is crucial for Arsenal
However, the 22-year-old sustained an injury in March which would rule him out of the rest of the campaign.

When Saliba made his final appearance of the season, Arsenal were five points clear with 11 games remaining. But of course, Manchester City were able to put together an outrageous run to win the title.

This time around, City do not look anywhere near as convincing. And Arsenal are sat in second, one point behind Liverpool. So Mikel Arteta’s men have a fantastic opportunity to go one step further this season.

But, speaking on ESPN, Steve Nicol believes that their title hopes could hinge on whether Saliba remains available.

“Well, I think the key is Saliba. Last year he got injured, missed the last 10, 12 games of the season. And that really, in my opinion, was what stopped them winning it. This year, touch wood, looks like Saliba, I think he’s played every single minute of every single game pretty much. So his fitness doesn’t seem to be in doubt,” he said.

“For me, the key is Saliba. If Saliba gets injured again, then I don’t think they would manage to hold on. But if he stays fit, then they’ll be in it right to the very end.”

Gunners just don’t have someone to step into Frenchman’s shoes
All three sides in title contention will have players they would ideally like to wrap up in cotton wool. And Saliba is definitely one of those for the Gunners.

They do have other players who can play at centre-back. And of course, it was Ben White and Gabriel who were so impressive together the year before Saliba got his chance.

But there is a reason Saliba is arguably the best centre-back in the Premier League. And there is also a reason Nicol sees him as the crucial player ahead of the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.