Last season in the Premier League, Arsenal centre-back William Saliba established himself as one of the best defenders in world football.

Powerful, fast and wise beyond his years, the Frenchman was arguably the Premier League’s leading centre-half in the 2022/23 season – without him in the starting XI, Arsenal often looked all at sea.

Due to this, the Gunners will be very pleased to have tied him down with a new long-term deal in the summer [via LondonWorld]. At just 22 years of age, he is set to make a monumental impact over the next few years of his career at the Emirates Stadium.

His contributions have also been noticed by Didier Deschamps and the French national team – up to this point, he has won eight international caps for Les Bleus. We believe he could be an excellent captain in the future for Arsenal – here’s why.

What leadership attributes does William Saliba possess?

As a towering, commanding centre-half, Saliba certainly fits the mould of an effective captain in the Premier League. Centre-backs such as John Terry, Nemanja Vidic and Tony Adams have all been imperious leaders from the back in England’s top flight.

For such a young player, Saliba is also very adept at holding his back line together by barking instructions at his teammates. He is very confident in his abilities – this confidences bleeds into the squad around him, which is a trait that any good captain needs.

While he isn’t ready for the captaincy yet – he is perhaps too young for such a hefty responsibility – in a few years’ time, he will be an excellent leader.

Would Salbia make a better leader than current Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard?

At this stage, it is difficult to stage. At first glance, Odegaard would appear to be an ineffective leader – however, in practice, he fits into the role like a glove.

One of Odegaard’s most underrated attributes is his unwavering workrate on the pitch. He covers an incredible amount of ground – this allows him to be contact with players in all sections of the pitch and it also displays that he is willing to lead by example.