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Jamie O'Hara has made a bold claim concerning Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven and Arsenal's William Saliba. The Dutch defender has been impressive for the north London outfit since he arrived for a reported €40 million fee from VFL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023.
The defender has gone on to make 35 appearances and score three goals while providing two assists, the pick of which is his mazy run to open the scoring in Spurs 3-0 demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
In the aftermath of the result, O'Hara, who made 56 appearances for the Lilywhites said on talkSPORT:
“He is unbelievable. I would go as far as to say the best centre-half in the world right now. He is better than Saliba. He has got way more than Saliba. Saliba is brilliant. He is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong. Great centre-half, But don’t tell me Saliba has proved it. He has won nothing. Van de Ven is better than Saliba right now. Van de Ven is the best centre-half in the world right now."
O'Hara concluded:
“Right now on form, he walks into any team. He gets into Liverpool’s team, he gets into Real Madrid’s team, he gets in Manchester City’s team, he walks into any team in the world.”
The Arsenal defender and van de Ven are the same age. However, Saliba has had the honor of representing his nation 23 times compared to the Dutchman's eight caps.
When Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta reveals the secret behind the strong Gabriel-Saliba partnership
Back in April, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed that the secret to the strong Gabriel-Saliba Partnership was the chemistry between the two players. The duo have been two of the best defenders in the league in recent seasons and combined to help the Gunners mount a strong title charge last season.
Speaking to the press about the impressive defensive partnership, the Spanish tactician said (via 90Min):
"You just feel it when you see the partnership. Sometimes there is a chemistry between two players that complement each other. They are so happy to work with and for each other. It just flows. They really enjoy playing together and they’ve been really good."
Saliba has been at the club since 2019 and has made 90 appearances for the club while Gabriel joined Arsenal from LOSC Lille in a reported €26 million deal in 2020. The duo have played together 86 times and combined for one goal.
