Mikel Arteta: Arsenal new boys Gabriel and William Saliba lucky to have 'role model' David Luiz

Luiz and Gabriel in training
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Simon Collings @sr_collings22 September 2020

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal newcomers Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are lucky to have David Luiz around as a role model.

Gabriel joined Arsenal this summer from Lille for a fee of around £26million, while Saliba has now linked up with the first-team squad after spending last year on loan at Saint-Etienne.

Between them, the pair cost nearly £60million but they are both still young – with Gabriel 22 years old and Saliba only 19.

As a result Arteta is slowly integrating Saliba, who could make his debut on Wednesday at Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, while Gabriel’s introduction has been sped up due to injuries at centre-back.

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Luiz has been one of those out injured, but Arteta has revealed the 33-year-old – who could also feature against Leicester – is playing a key role mentoring Gabriel and Saliba.

“I think he is a really good role model for them,” said Arteta.

“For who David is as a person and as a player and everything he has achieved in the game – I think they are lucky to have him around.

“I think William is doing really well. He is adapting to the country, adapting to our club.

“We have to bear in mind that he had a really challenging season last year with the amount of injuries that he had.

“But he is a player that is going to be really important in our future. Things sometimes take some time and we have to respect that.”

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Arteta is expected to make changes to his team for Wednesday’s match at Leicester, particularly with a trip to Liverpool in the Premier League coming on Monday.

The Spaniard has, however, promised he is taking the Carabao Cup seriously this season and believes teams still want to win it – even though winning it secures qualification to the new UEFA Europa Conference League and not the Europa League from this season.

“We are going to take the Carabao Cup seriously, that is for sure,” said Arteta. “Obviously with the fixtures we have, the number of games, it is very difficult.

“Maybe not in the first games but when the competition moves a little more forward, how teams – not just ourselves – are going to treat the competition.

“But we have to go day by day, let’s see what position we are in for Wednesday to try and put out the strongest possible team to try and win it.

“In the last few seasons I think this competition for the clubs has raised [importance], there is only one winner in the Premier League.

“That leaves a lot of frustrated clubs and now everybody wants a title and you can see in the last few years that teams have used strong line-ups and the types of finals we have seen in recent years.”

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