“We lost the premier league because of you”: Arsenal star reveals Mikel Arteta told him he was ‘too soft’ in training

William Saliba acknowledged that he needed to win over Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, who frequently criticised the centre defender that he was too “soft” during practise.

For a £27 million cost, Sailba left French team St-Etienne five years ago, but at first he had trouble breaking into the starting lineup.

Before the centre back was eventually given a chance in Arteta’s squad, he played two complete seasons back on loan in France.

However, since then, the 23-year-old has established himself as a key member of the Arsenal team, which has defeated Manchester City in the last two Premier League seasons. He may also be expected to play a significant role for his nation at the forthcoming European Championship.

While Saliba was all praise for his time under Arteta, he also acknowledged that the Spaniard had put in a lot of effort in the beginning to toughen up the center-back in training.

He added in an interview with L’Equipe, “He taught me to have a good attitude.”

He asked me to be meaner at times since he felt that I was a touch too soft during training. To be honest, he wants the players to be afraid of me.

“He elevated me to a new level.” He is among the world’s top coaches. He hates losing and considers every little detail. We approach every contest in a unique way.

🚨William Saliba: “I think I am in the top three central defenders in the Premier League, yes.

“I am a humble person but last year, like this year, I am in the top 3 of best defenders.

“Van Dijk has an aura, for example. He's the boss, he orders everything. You feel that he… pic.twitter.com/7ZURBPQCsF

— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) June 8, 2024

Arsenal, who missed out on winning the league the last time around, will try again after the summer’s Euros. This will be their first attempt at winning the league in over 20 years.

Saliba thinks his team is still improving, but he is aware that Pep Guardiola’s team will present a formidable task once more.

“We now have even more knowledge that Manchester City is prone to errors, but that starting in February and March, they no longer miss,” he stated.

“We put them through hardship when we played against them three times.” They sense our proximity to them, and we sense theirs. We’re going to have an even better war next year.