David Raya went and told Marli Salmon exactly what every Arsenal fan is thinking about him

Marli Salmon has been the talk of the town around Arsenal lately.

Mikel Arteta was not shy to use the 16-year-old in the pre-season games, and the youngster more than repaid his faith.

Salmon was solid in the first three games, but his cameo against Borussia Dortmund was outstanding. Then, in the game against Como, he was even better.

Everyone was impressed with that performance, seemingly even David Raya.

David Raya and Marli Salmon moment after Arsenal vs Como

It wasn’t too big a surprise to see Marli Salmon get a start against Como on Wednesday night.

With William Saliba out injured and Cristhian Mosquera not in the best of form, we expected the youngster to get the nod.

What many didn’t expect, however, was for Salmon to produce one of the best performances you would ever see from a 16-year-old.

The Arsenal academy star played the first half on the left side of central defence and moved to the right for the second period, after Gabriel Magalhaes was withdrawn.

The teenager was flawless on both sides, in and out of possession, and he received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 88th minute.

After the game, while all the players were shaking hands, David Raya found Salmon in the middle.

The goalkeeper shook his hand, raised his left arm, and appeared to tell the youngster that he was going straight to the top.

That is exactly what every Arsenal fan who watched Salmon’s performance against Como felt.

Mikel Arteta should take a risk and start Marli Salmon in the Community Shield

Arsenal take on Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday, and Arteta has a decision to make in his defence.

Gabriel is guaranteed to start in the heart of the defence, with Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White occupying the two full-back positions.

The easy option for Arteta would be to deploy the more experienced Mosquera at right centre-back, but Salmon has been better than the Spaniard in every single pre-season game.

Yes, it would be a massive gamble, especially as he would be coming up against the best striker in the world, Erling Haaland.

However, if Salmon passes this test, it will be clear that he is capable of playing against any side. We think it’s worth the risk on Sunday.