Anton Ferdinand gives three reasons why William Saliba may struggle for Arsenal next season

Former West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand has outlined three reasons why Saliba may struggle for Arsenal next season.

Saliba has enjoyed a breakout season under Mikel Arteta, announcing himself as one of the Premier League's best defenders.

A back injury has hindered his progress, along with Arsenal's, who have dropped from first place to second in the Frenchman's absence.

Rob Holding stepped in as deputy, but struggled to replicate the defender's form, with January signing Jakub Kiwior now seemingly first-choice alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.

Meanwhile, David Ornstein of The Athletic claimed that Saliba will miss the rest of the campaign in a major blow to the Gunners' title hopes.

Therefore, supporters may have to wait until next season to see the 22-year-old back in action.

Although Ferdinand reckons that is when things could get tough for Saliba, believing opposition teams will have worked him out.

What did he say?

Ferdinand, speaking on brother Rio’s YouTube channel, FIVE, has warned Saliba about the difficulties of his second season in the Premier League, believing it will be more testing.

“Do you know what? On Saliba, I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s got next year. The only reason why I say it, I know how hard the second year is,” Ferdinand said.

The 38-year-old also suggested Saliba could lose some of his adrenaline, believing that during a player's first year “the respect levels aren’t really there”.

“First year, adrenaline, people don’t really know you, people don’t really know how you play. The respect levels aren’t really there. The second year’s always the hardest," Ferdinand continued.

“Listen, I believe he’s got tremendous and unbelievable talent and potential. But until you see them in the second year, you don’t know whether they’re going to be tops or not in my opinion.”

Only time will tell how the young defender fares next season, but before he even kicks a ball, Arteta must tie him down to a new contract in north London, with his current deal due to expire next year.

Topics: William Saliba, Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Premier League, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno