Arteta hails debutants Saliba and Jesus, target of new Arsenal transfers

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed the performance of debutants William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus in the Gunners' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

While Jesus was a thorn in the side of the Eagles defense with a menacing display, particularly in the first half, at the other end Saliba put on an imposing defensive display - after waiting three years to its beginnings.

Saliba's dominating performance saw the 21-year-old register a team-high seven clearances and win possession seven times, behind only Thomas Partey (eight).

Speaking after the game, Arteta discussed the merits of partnering with Gabriel Magalhaes.

"You need the right balance," the manager told Sky Sports.

"Physique in this league is something you can't miss, because if you do, you're going to be exposed, and you're going to have to be able to face certain matches and certain opponents, which are so demanding in these aspects.

"Both, for their age, they're really well built, and they give us a different edge, same with Ben [White].

"It's the resilience we need to win football games and get through them. We've had a few moments; you need your goalkeeper because, to be honest, they've had the biggest chance of the game, one-on-one, and Aaron [Ramsdale] did incredibly well."

Although Jesus was not on the Arsenal scoresheet, his intention was evident from the start as he put the Palace defense under pressure and played a team-record 21 duels.

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"The fear factor," Arteta said, describing the striker's impact. "He's always on your shoulder, he's always had that ability, the intuition to take the ball away from you, and he never stands still.

"He's always on the move, he's always ready to act, and he's so quick. For defenders, it's hard to play against him."

As well as Jesus, Arsenal have added Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos, but Arteta - who celebrated his 50th league win as Gunners boss - is still on the lookout for further additions ahead the closing of the transfer window in September. 1.

“We will try,” he said. "There are a few things we have planned, and if we can do them that would be great.

"But now we will work with the players we have. We are already in the season, and the focus should be on the players we have, to get the most out of them."