Leandro Trossard names Arsenal teammate who can become 'best in the world'

Leandro Trossard believes William Saliba can become the 'best in the world in his position'. The Arsenal defender recently signed a new long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium, fending off interest from potential suitors.

Before putting pen to paper on a five-year deal, Saliba was fast-approaching the final 18 months of his stay. The France international was being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, but the Gunners managed to parry advances from the Spanish capital.

football.london understands that Saliba believes Arsenal is the best club for him to achieve his goals. Andrea Berta was at the forefront of talks with the 24-year-old centre-half, just as he was with the extensions of Gabriel Maghaeles, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Now that Saliba has committed his future to the north London outfit, Trossard believes the defender can become the 'best in the world in his position. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Arsenal's clash against West Ham this weekend, he said: "First of all, he is a great human being.

"He’s a funny guy, and yeah, on the pitch, I think he’s one of the best in the world at the moment. He’s so calm on the ball and then off the ball, it’s so hard to get past him."

Trossard added: "He’s strong, he’s quick, he has basically everything. He just needs to focus every single game, and I think then he can be the best in the world in his position.

"If he is actually on it every single game and he pushes himself there, I think he can be [the best centre back in the world]. He has all the attributes for it."

When Saliba signed his new deal, he declared that he's ready to give 'even more'. The Frenchman, who joined the Gunners from Saint-Etienne in July 2019 for £27m, said: "I feel proud of myself because I first signed in 2019, and now in 2025, I'm still here to extend my contract.

"I'm so happy. I feel at home. We have a good team, we have a good squad, we have good staff. The coach is perfect for me, so it's the best place to be.

"I enjoy every day when I have the chance to wear this shirt. I try to give everything, and now I’ll give even more to this club and to the fans."

On the progress he's made since making his debut against Crystal Palace three years ago, Saliba said: "When you sign, you dream of playing many games, but it comes so quickly. Before I signed, I didn't realise that I would play a lot of games like this so it's good and I want to play more.

"When I signed, I went back to Saint-Etienne, and I came back and became a starter so a lot of things have happened, but I'm so proud of my journey. I never gave up, even in the tough moments.

"Of course, I wanted to play straight away, but I didn't expect that it would be as good as it was. I played well, we almost won the league in the first season, and we almost won the league the season after as well.

"I'm happy now, but not 100% happy because we have to do more. We have to win titles, because it's what we want, what the club wants. The boss is one of the best coaches in the world."

Echoing Trossard's thoughts, Saliba added: "He has helped me a lot, him and his staff, so I'm so happy to have them as a coach. I'm 24 now, and I think I haven’t reached my peak.

"I have a lot of things to improve, a lot of things to give to this team, and I know that the coach and the staff will help me to become the best, or one of the best, defenders in the world and win trophies."

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