Arsenal's start to the season has been less than convincing, despite having claimed three wins from a possible four and having remained unbeaten in the Premier League.
However, it is worth noting that two of those three victories came courtesy of a slender one-goal lead, and even against Manchester United they seemed to struggle at times as Mikel Arteta scrambles to recapture their form of old.
Last season saw the Gunners run Manchester City incredibly close for the title against all the odds, winning 26 matches and missing out by just a five-point margin. Given they led the race for the majority of the campaign too, it stung to see them push ahead at the final hurdle to claim the first of three pieces of silverware in the same year.
The hope is that the north London outfit can emulate something similar to such a historic success now, with their summer additions certain to aid them in that pursuit.
Declan Rice (West Ham United)
£100m up front
Nicolas Pepe (LOSC Lille)
£69m
Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
£64m
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)
£55m
Ben White (Brighton and Hove Albion)
£50m
Fees via Transfermarkt
However, whilst Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and David Raya could all play a big part in that brighter future, it will mainly be built on the foundation set by last year's heroes. Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba made up a youthful spine that will only continue to evolve, with the latter having perhaps enjoyed the most surprising of standout terms.
Why is William Saliba so good?
Saliba, who actually joined back in 2019, had largely become a forgotten man by many as he returned to his homeland for a string of loan spells. First sent back to Saint Etienne, where he had initially moved from, he would enjoy stints with OGC Nice and Marseille before his integration into Arsenal's first team.
However, this was a plan clearly well-thought-out, as his development has been exemplary, and his newfound importance within their side is monumental.
It is a testament to his quality that their failure to win the title last season is often attributed to the back injury he sustained in March, which saw him ruled out of action for the rest of their campaign.
Pundit Jamie Carragher even noted: "After the World Cup, they were looking completely different defensively. They were still getting the results, but they were conceding goals. Then, without Saliba, they drop even further.
"I don't think him being there for the full season would have meant that Arsenal would have gone on and won the title. I’m sure they would have been a lot closer, but there are still things he needs to improve on.”
His 6.98 Sofascore average rating in the league last term marked an admirable return, but the 22-year-old now seems poised to reach even loftier heights, having seen that rating rise to 7.28 this year after just four games. Such a lofty figure, which makes him Arsenal's seventh-best performer, is buoyed by his 95% pass accuracy, 1.5 interceptions, 5.8 ball recoveries and three clearances per game.
Although he might not be ranked as their outright best performer, history has dictated just how important he is to this side, with former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood even telling Premier League Productions (22/05/23): "He will get better. If they keep him fit, all of the season, then they will win the league again or they have a chance of winning the league."
Given his continued presence throughout their unbeaten start in the current campaign, this is a claim that could still come true.
How much was William Saliba worth at Saint Etienne?
Having emerged through the Saint Etienne academy after youth stints with some lesser-known outfits, he swiftly made a name for himself as one of Europe's best up-and-coming young defenders given his pace, power and technical prowess.
The north London club wasted no time to invest, perhaps paying over the odds at the time with the trust that the £190k-per-week titan would one day repay that faith.
After all, his value had overseen a sharp rise in just one year, jumping from €3m (£2.5m) in 2018 to €25m (£21m) just 12 months later. Given he had only played 36 senior games for his side, this was likely a figure inflated by the interest he was garnering.
How much did Arsenal sign William Saliba for?
When comparing the valuation above with the fee paid, there is not too much of a disparity to suggest Edu was taken for a ride by the Les Verts.
After all, the £27m they invested has already begun to look like a bargain given the importance he now holds within Arteta's squad, even if it took two years for him to break into the senior side.
If they were to sell Saliba now, that fee could even be tripled given his incredible skillset for someone so young, thus making this quite a shrewd piece of business from Edu during a tumultuous period in the club's history, as Unai Emery sought to lead his side into a brighter future.
What is William Saliba's market value now?
This is a notion supported by the new market value of the France international, who has unsurprisingly seen a sharp upturn given that exposure to the elite level, both on the world stage and in the Premier League.
CIES Football Observatory offers their findings on his value, setting it at an astronomical €80m (£69m).
However, this should come as no surprise given everything aforementioned including the various glowing testimonies, what his figures suggest and that added experience which grows with each passing week. The sky truly is the limit for this young centre-back.
Why is William Saliba worth so much?
To explain why he is worth that much is merely to showcase their drop-off when he was not in the team, with FlashScore summing it up rather succinctly.
Indeed, when Saliba is on the pitch, Arteta's team only concede an average of 0.9 goals per game but without him, that figure remarkably doubles to 1.8. Intriguingly, there is also a difference between the number of points scored per game (2.4 with him vs 1.8 without him). Worryingly, their win ratio of 77.8% drops to just 40% too.
Not only this, but his absence clearly would have a detrimental effect on his teammates, given how highly they rate him. Aaron Ramsdale even noted: "He has fit in really well. It is a credit to him that he has been put straight into the team. He is a bit of a Rolls-Royce with the way he moves and he has never seemed phased.".
The most frightening thing about Saliba is that he is still very much in the infancy of his career, and should he continue to grow at his current rate, he could soon be one of the world's best defenders in no time at all.