Ex-Arsenal defender William Gallas has labelled William Saliba a “disaster” in comparison to Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate as he explained why the young defender struggles for France.
Saliba’s rise at Arsenal since his integration into the first team in 2022 has been meteoric, with the centre-back quickly becoming one of the Premier League’s most promising talents. Despite this, his performances have not yet secured him a regular spot with the French national side.
France manager Didier Deschamps appears to favour options like Konate and Dayot Upamecano over Saliba, often leading to debate among supporters of both Arsenal and Les Bleus. Gallas has now weighed in on the issue, suggesting that Saliba’s inconsistency is what holds him back from being a mainstay in the national team.
Speaking to GFFN, Gallas said: “Unfortunately, it’s difficult for William Saliba to be in the France XI because you have Konate and Upamecano. Sometimes Saliba can be magnificent, but sometimes he can be a disaster as he’s not consistent.”
Gallas highlighted the dilemma faced by Deschamps when choosing his central defensive partnership. He added: “That’s why it’s a big problem for Didier Deschamps to know exactly who is going to be the number one, or the partnership at centre-back.”
Deschamps recently spoke about Saliba’s situation in a press conference, noting: “He is having a good season, but he also does things that I don’t like so much. For France, he has limited game time, but when he plays, that hasn’t necessarily gone well.
“The hierarchy doesn’t favour him at the moment, but he is here. Dayot Upamecano has had game time and perhaps William has had less.”
Deschamps further elaborated on his approach to player management, concluding: “With certain players, I make sure to persevere, because it can be confidence or little blockages that can shift. Some don’t have any concerns, some need game time.
“William has had less game time, so that doesn’t allow him to be very calm.” Despite the national team challenges, Saliba remains a key figure at Arsenal, even though he couldn’t help the Gunners avoid elimination from the Champions League by Bayern Munich. With six league games remaining, Saliba is expected to play a crucial role if Arsenal are to bounce back this season.