The partnership between William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes has taken Arsenal to the next level.
Mikel Arteta opted to fuse the duo together in the 2022/23 season and the Gunners have been Premier League title challengers ever since.
It took some time for Saliba to announce himself as a first-teamer at Arsenal, embarking on several loan spells before returning as a force to be reckoned with.
After a long wait to unlock defensive stability, Arsenal have one of the best central defensive partnerships in Europe in Gabriel and the Frenchman.
Frank Lampard sends message to William Saliba and Gabriel
While Saliba and Gabriel’s form is frequently celebrated as a result of Arsenal’s strength at the back, not everyone is on board with the high praise.
Speaking on Amazon Prime Video Sport ahead of Arsenal’s dominant win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Frank Lampard disagreed with one comment about the pair.
The Chelsea legend was asked if there was any comparison between Saliba and Gabriel and Blues greats John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, to which Lampard answered bluntly.
“No. Not yet, if they go and win two or three Premier League’s and the Champions League,” the former England international said.
“They are fantastic, so young, growing all the time. What they’re doing at the moment is great, but win some stuff boys.”
Lampard challenged the pair to win some major silverware at Arsenal, which logically, is the next step to strengthening their claim to being one of the best pairings in Europe.
Arsenal’s defence is evolving
Saliba and Gabriel have taken Arsenal to the next level since merging in 2022/23, with the Gunners’ back line getting better year after year.
This term, Arteta has Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori at his disposal, adding extra quality to an already remarkable defence.
There was little room for improvement from last season, as Arsenal maintained the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding only 29 goals, which was 14 fewer than the campaign prior.
Arteta is applying the finishing touches to push his side to claim major silverware, with Lampard’s message to Saliba and Gabriel providing added motivation.