Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke has revealed that a conversation with former defender Per Mertesacker led to the club signing William Saliba, whom they hoped would become their own Virgil van Dijk. Speaking about the club's transformation after the 2019 Europa League final defeat, Kroenke recalled asking Mertesacker how Arsenal could acquire a defender of Van Dijk's calibre.
Kroenke said: 'I said: 'How do we get one of these guys into our system?' He said: 'Well, unless you've got 100 million quid, you better not be thinking about him.' I asked who the best young defender in Europe was, and he turned without hesitation and said William Saliba.'
Arsenal signed Saliba that summer but loaned him out for three seasons before Mikel Arteta integrated him into the first team. Saliba has since become a cornerstone of Arsenal's defence and one of the world's best centre-backs. Kroenke noted that he does not get involved in transfers but wanted to understand the rationale behind the move.
The co-chair added that he kept the story to himself until recently, even as Saliba's return to the squad faced scrutiny. 'I was sitting over in America laughing, going, 'Please let this kid work out!'' he said. 'I was never going to say, 'Hey, someone told me a few years ago that this kid was going to be great!''
