I don’t like him- France coach Didier Deschamps on William Saliba

It is shocking that the manager of France, Didier Deschamps, has criticized an Arsenal player for his performances considering his stellar club record. Despite William Saliba’s lack of use as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 friendly loss to Germany, Deschamps found opportunity to criticize the 23-year-old.

For the past 15 months, the Frenchman has been regarded by many as one of the top defenders in the world, but Deschamps isn’t impressed with the Arsenal player just yet.

The French coach, 55-year-old said on Monday that: “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.”

Deschamps went ahead to give a damning verdict of Saliba: “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 did say something to be sympathetic toward Saliba even if it seemed like he was criticizing the young Arsenal player, saying:

“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.”

As of now, Saliba has participated in every Premier League game for Arsenal in the 2023–2024 season, solidifying his position as one of Mikel Arteta’s most dependable and consistent players. Even though the young player has occasionally made mistakes for Arsenal, his talent is evident, which makes Deschamps’ remarks all the more odd—especially so soon after a loss in which Saliba was not involved.