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.
