During a podcast on his brother Rio's YouTube channel, former West Ham defender, Anton Ferdinand, has highlighted factors that could potentially pose challenges for Saliba at Arsenal in the upcoming season.
Ferdinand said: "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."
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."
Saliba has had a remarkable season under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, establishing himself as one of the top defenders in the Premier League. Unfortunately, his progress has been hampered by a back injury, which has also impacted Arsenal's performance.
