William Saliba has hit back at Arsenal’s critics in recent seasons, claiming the Gunners have shut them up by winning the Premier League title.
Reflecting on Arsenal’s last few seasons, William Saliba has admitted the squad had to endure plenty of jokes and mockery for their second-place finishes over the years, but he adds that they’ve silenced the critics now.
“There were a lot of jokes, people made fun of us,” Saliba told L’Equipe. “Even when we were top of the league, they were saying that at some point we were going to bottle it and drop back to second place.
“That’s football banter, it’s like that. If you want to change that, you just have to win. Now that we’ve won it, they can’t say anything anymore.”
Saliba also reflected on the criticism of Arsenal’s style of play, pointing out that they’re not doing much that’s different to everyone else, they’re just doing it better.
“It’s true that sometimes we score a lot more from set pieces,” Saliba admitted. “Now you see, in the Premier League, everyone does long throw-ins, everyone focuses on corners — it’s not just us.
“We just do it better than the others. So, that’s life, and we’re going to continue like this.”
Saliba has consistently impressed in the centre of defence with Arsenal, and his performances deserved more than the one Community Shield he’d won prior to this season.
The defender now has a Premier League title to his name, and Mikel Arteta’s side will be coming back for more in 2026/27.
But before that, Saliba will be playing for France at the World Cup, looking to earn his first international winner’s medal.
France will face Senegal, Iraq, and Norway in the World Cup group stage, so Saliba will face some familiar opponents, particularly in Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland.
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