‘He’s the man’: William Saliba names the leader at Arsenal who always tells him what to do

At a Glance:

• William Saliba reveals Arsenal teammate is a huge leader.
• Saliba calls him his “brother.”
• Why Mikel Arteta deserves massive credit.

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After years of cementing his status as one of the best defenders in the world, Arsenal colossus William Saliba has earned the fruits of his labour by becoming a Premier League champion.

Saliba has been exceptional this season and several supporters could now mention his name in the same breath as other legendary Gunners centre-backs like Tony Adams and Sol Campbell.

However, the Frenchman’s life is made easier due to the presence of a certain Gabriel Magalhaes.

Gabriel has been one of Arsenal’s best players as well this campaign and moreover, he is also a leader within the dressing room.

• READ MORE: Forget Rice and Gabriel, this Arsenal player should win player of the season

William Saliba says Gabriel barks instructions at him on the pitch

Speaking to Sky Sports, Saliba revealed that out of the two centre-backs, it is Gabriel who tells him what to do far more than he does.

“More him because he’s the big man, he’s older than me, he’s my guy, he’s my brother.

While Gabriel has been world-class for years, Saliba revealed that he also calls the Brazilian out when he is having a tough outing.

“But when he’s not good, I tell him as well because you know, I have to tell him as well. But yeah, he’s the man, we are together. We’ve been so good and it’s not only this season, we’ve been good since we played together and we deserve the title.”

Mikel Arteta deserves huge credit for Gabriel’s rise

Arsenal fans must be over the moon after hearing Saliba’s revelation about Gabriel, who has developed into one of Mikel Arteta’s most important players. When the North Londoners signed the defender from Lille in 2020, he was initially quite rash and error-prone.

However, under Arteta’s stewardship, Gabriel has developed into an elite centre-half.

Centre-back partnerships with the most Premier League clean sheets this century:

Vidic & Ferdinand: 70 clean sheets in 138 matches 🧱
Gabriel & Saliba: 56 clean sheets in 116 matches 🧱
Terry & Carvalho: 46 clean sheets in 88 matches 🧱 pic.twitter.com/HJ6wj4fv4k

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 22, 2026

In Saliba and Gabriel, Arsenal could potentially have the greatest centre-back partnership in the club’s history and with both players getting better and better, there is no stopping the pair anytime soon.

Saliba reckons Arsenal could win more league titles in the future and judging by the solidity of his synergy with the former Lille star, it is easy to see why the former feels this way.