Crystal Palace v Arsenal: Mikel Arteta hails William Saliba after ice-cool debut

Mikel Arteta said William Saliba had “proved a point” after impressing in an Arsenal debut that had been three years in the making.

The north London club signed the 21-year-old French defender in 2019, but he had to wait until Friday’s 2-0 win away to Crystal Palace to make his first appearance, having been loaned out to Saint-Étienne, Nice and Marseille in the previous three seasons.

Saliba put in a near-faultless performance against an attacking Palace line-up at Selhurst Park, leading many Arsenal fans to question why he had not been tried earlier.

“Saliba was superb,” Arteta, the Arsenal manager, said. “You don’t really see a debut at 21 years old in the Premier League against physical opponents with that composure, calmness and presence, so