Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has named Arsenal duo Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba as the best centre-back partnership in the Premier League.
Softfootball understands that Richards believes the Arsenal pair have earned that status through their consistency over the past two seasons.
The Gunners built their title challenge last season on a solid defensive foundation, conceding just 29 Premier League goals in the 2023/24 campaign, with Gabriel and Saliba forming one of the league’s most reliable partnerships.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, Richards said Arsenal’s defensive duo stand above the competition because of their sustained performances.
He noted that while Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has been outstanding, the Dutch defender has partnered several different centre-backs in recent seasons, including Joël Matip, Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté.
According to Richards, that lack of continuity gives Gabriel and Saliba the edge when judging the league’s best defensive pairing.
However, Alan Shearer disagreed with his former England teammate.
The Newcastle United legend argued that Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté deserve top spot, praising their strength, pace, positional awareness and influence on Liverpool’s impressive start to the season.
Despite favouring Liverpool’s partnership, Shearer acknowledged that Gabriel and Saliba remain close contenders, describing Arsenal’s central defensive pairing as one of the strongest in English football.
