Mikel Arteta has now been lauding the progress one Arsenal star has made since they joined the club back in 2019.

Both the Arsenal manager and Edu Gaspar have a big task on their hands this summer, aiming to improve a squad that has achieved so much this season.

It seems as if several players will move on, including names who have regularly contributed for Mikel Arteta over the past few seasons.

Aaron Ramsdale continues to be linked with a move away, with Newcastle United said to be seriously interested.

And then there’s the players like Thomas Partey who remain in the XI right now, but still could be set for a departure.

Either way, Arsenal will be looking to replace the players who leave with profiles even better suited to Arteta’s project right now, which has progressed so much this season.

A lot of that improvement is owed to Arsenal’s defence, which is currently led by William Saliba.

Of course, the Frenchman didn’t have the most straightforward of starts at the club, and Arteta has now somewhat lifted the lid on that situation.

Mikel Arteta says William Saliba has made serious progress at Arsenal after tricky start

Speaking in an interview with France Football, Arteta explained that he always knew Saliba would thrive at Arsenal, but the timing needed to be right. 

He shared: “When he arrived at the club after his first loan, we wanted to look at him.

“Our evaluation led us to two conclusions: firstly, he wasn’t ready to play in the Premier League in the role that we thought he could have and most importantly, the environment wasn’t good enough for him to develop, for him to become what we imagined and for him to reach the potential he had.

“I was 100% convinced that he would play at Arsenal but not at that moment in time.

“I told him that I would not put him in because he wasn’t ready so he had to prove himself elsewhere.

“He was incredible and consistent and he succeeded in managing other problems.

“He came back and after one or two training sessions, in a new environment, we knew that, from now on, he could do it.

“Since, he has proved that brilliantly. His progression and his consistency are incredible. We are very happy to have him here.”

Arsenal need to sign Ousmande Diomande next season

At the start of the season it seemed as if Ben White was envisioned as a centre-back once again, adding to the strength in depth in the middle.

But with White enjoying another outstanding season on the right, he should no longer be in that conversation.

And as a result, Arsenal do still need to find better back up for Saliba, who doesn’t have an obvious replacement.

Jakub Kiwior is an obvious option to replace Gabriel Magalhaes when unavailable on the left, but the same can’t be said of their right-side.

Perhaps Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande is still the perfect profile, a target Arsenal have long said to be interested in.

All that being said, yesterday’s events at Brighton & Hove Albion may have just created an exciting opportunity for Arsenal.