Showing2026/27 seasonAll official competitions
Preferred Positions
Last 24 months · all competitions
CB
Centre-backMain
8,926 min · 104 apps · 101 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Arsenal · independent of the season filter
Important
Involvement71%
Performance38%
Through the match on 13 Oct 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
William Saliba is a French central defender who combines the speed to cover space behind a high defensive line with composure when opponents press him on the ball. His role is often to tidy up danger and keep possession moving, giving teammates a route out of defence.
Born in Bondy on 24 March 2001, he developed at AS Bondy and FC Montfermeil before joining Saint-Étienne in 2016. His senior breakthrough came there in September 2018. Arsenal signed him in July 2019, but he stayed with Saint-Étienne on loan for the following season.
Further loans at Nice and Marseille extended that education. His 2021/22 season at Marseille brought the UNFP award for Ligue 1’s best young player. Looking back in an Arsenal interview, he said the repeated moves had made him doubt whether he would ever play for the club, but that continuing to improve had brought him back stronger.
His competitive Arsenal debut finally arrived in August 2022, in a 2–0 Premier League win at Crystal Palace. By 2023/24 he played every minute of the league campaign, forming a central defensive partnership with Gabriel that allowed Arsenal to defend both high up the pitch and inside their own penalty area.
That partnership was part of Arsenal’s Premier League title-winning side in 2025/26. Saliba also started the Champions League final that May, when Arsenal drew 1–1 with Paris Saint-Germain before losing on penalties. The domestic title and European final marked a substantial change from his early years spent away on loan.
With France, he made his senior debut in March 2022 and belonged to the squad that reached that year’s World Cup final. He earned a place in UEFA’s EURO 2024 Team of the Tournament. At the 2026 World Cup he made six appearances, including the semi-final defeat by Spain, as France finished fourth.
Premier League analysis describes him as the covering partner alongside Gabriel: he recovers loose balls and receives passes under pressure to help build from the back.
Latest stats & form
William Saliba currently plays for Arsenal as a centre-back. He has represented France internationally.