A chilly, rainy afternoon in Montpellier marked the beginning of Arsenal's serious interest in William Saliba. This was back in 2019, long before the scouts, agents, and rival clubs started circling. Saliba was then playing for Saint-Étienne's under-19s, and Ty Gooden, Arsenal's France scout at the time, had flagged him as a promising 6ft 4in, 18-year-old talent. Gooden's recommendation led Francis Cagigao, then Arsenal's head of scouting, to the south of France.

Initially, Cagigao and Gooden were more focused on another centre-half at Saint-Étienne, a player a year older and already part of the first team. This player, who will face Saliba at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, eventually commanded a £70m transfer fee. However, it was Saliba's exceptional speed and commanding presence that caught the Arsenal duo's attention over Wesley Fofana.

Saliba impressed in that match but suffered an injury, delaying Arsenal's follow-up scouting trip by six weeks. After their second viewing, Cagigao called Raul Sanllehi, then Arsenal's head of football, and declared, “We must sign this boy.” This moment is akin to discovering the holy grail in football scouting, where endless trips to nondescript training grounds are often met with disappointment. But the standout talents make it all worthwhile.

In essence, this is what Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are trying to replicate at Chelsea, albeit with mixed results: a recruitment system that identifies and secures the most talented teenagers before they become well-known. Arsenal appears to have executed this strategy more effectively. Saliba, along with Gabriel Magalhães and Gabriel Martinelli, were all scouted by the Gooden-Cagigao duo and Everton Gushiken, respectively, and signed for relatively low fees, now worth significantly more.

“You can be the best centre-half in Europe,” Cagigao told Saliba at Arsenal's London Colney training ground a few months after their initial meeting. Saliba, still only 19, had just made his Saint-Étienne first-team debut but was now at one of the world's biggest clubs. Cagigao meticulously went through Saliba's strengths and weaknesses, showing him data from his matches and areas for improvement, demonstrating how Arsenal could support his development.

The challenge with a youth recruitment model heavily reliant on data is that meaningful analysis is often lacking for the youngest players. “With young players, you need to wait for a certain number of games before you can draw reliable conclusions from the data,” explains Ian Graham, former Liverpool head of research and now running the consultancy Ludonautics. The trick is to sign a player before the mainstream data confirms his potential, as that's when every club in Europe is tracking him. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

Even so, making a player and agent feel valued is crucial in recruitment. Amid the cold analytics, winning hearts is as important as winning minds. After presenting to Saliba, Huss Fahmy, then Arsenal's head of football operations, and Cagigao took Saliba and his agent Djibril Niang to Sushisamba, a fusion restaurant on the 38th and 39th floors of the Heron Tower in London, offering spectacular views of the city. The bustling energy of central London made a strong impression on the teenager.

Tottenham's interest at that point was a complication for Arsenal and a boon for Saint-Étienne, driving the price up from £12m to £18m with additional potential add-ons of up to £7m. The increased price put intense pressure on Arsenal's scouting team. Were they still confident in this unheralded teenager at that price? “Sign him!” they insisted.

With the recent announcement of Edu's departure from Arsenal, fans might find some comfort in the Saliba signing. While Edu's contribution won't be forgotten, the perception that he masterminded the Saliba deal is not entirely accurate. Saliba signed two weeks after Edu joined in 2019, but the deal had been in progress months before his arrival. Similarly, the signing of Martinelli, who also joined that month, had been in the works.

Ironically, the scouting team that facilitated these deals was later replaced in Arsenal's fresh approach to recruitment. Yet, their legacy remains in gifting the club one of the world's finest centre-halves. Boehly and Eghbali will undoubtedly be watching closely on Sunday, aiming to replicate this success rather than spending £70m on their next promising young centre-half.

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