Antonio Rüdiger has revealed he would be happy if one of Arsenal’s stars came to Real Madrid.
The two-time Champions League winner showed his admiration for William Saliba and said the French centre-back was his dream signing for the Spanish giants.
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The 23-year-old continues to be a rock in Mikel Arteta’s side, exuding confidence and calm when on the ball and defending one-on-one.
Arsenal have kept three clean sheets from six games in the Premier League and haven’t conceded a single goal in two Champions League games.
Appearing on the Inside Scoop podcast, Rüdiger, who joined Los Blancos in 2022 and has won seven trophies, showed his admiration for the Gunners’ performance in defense.
When asked which defender he would sign for Real Madrid, the former Chelsea player replied: “I say William Saliba.
“I am very happy with my central defender partner [Eder] Militao because he has also overcome a serious injury and is now back to his best, but there are so many games so we would rotate.
“Having Saliba… it would be great.”
The Germany international was full of praise for Saliba’s partnership with Gunners teammate Gabriel Magalhaes, naming them two of his top three centre-backs at the moment.
“Saliba and Virgil van Dijk and I also like Gabriel from Arsenal,” he continued.
“I just enjoy it when you see Arsenal, for example, how the two central defenders play together for two years and are now doing a great job.
“The transformation of Arsenal before and now, these two are the pillars of it. There’s Gabriel, the more aggressive leader, and Saliba, that brother who plays clean.
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“He looks like a quiet leader.”
The 2022/23 season saw a rise in the duo, with Saliba’s injury arguably the reason Arsenal’s title bid failed.
Last season the Gunners were on the verge of ending their 20-year losing streak, but lost the Premier League on the final day of the season after keeping 18 clean sheets – most of them in the top flight – 15 of them as Saliba and Gabriel as a pair started.
The two have continued to grow and have formed arguably the best defense in the league alongside players like Jurrien Timber and Ben White.
Mikel Arteta has created a team that is highly regarded defensively across Europe – a reputation boosted by Wednesday’s 2-0 win over PSG in the Champions League.
Snapping up Saliba will be a difficult and costly task for any interested clubs as he signed a four-year deal with Arsenal in July 2023, which expires in 2027.
A move to Madrid would likely break the transfer record for a defender, currently held by Josko Gvardiol, who joined Manchester City from RB Leipzig for £77.6m in 2023.
Yes, Real Madrid have plenty of money, but Rüdiger could be unlucky as Saliba is committed to Arteta’s project.
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In an interview with Arsenal in September, he said: “I still have goals and ambitions because I haven’t won anything. I’ve had some good seasons but you have to win some trophies and that’s what I want to achieve with Arsenal and the national team.”
When asked about the secret of his partnership with Gabriel, he replied: “There is no secret, I am good, he is good.” We both speak French and are now in our third season together.
“We know each other so well and it is a pleasure to play every game with him. We’re growing together because he’s young too, so it’s really good to have him by my side.”