William Saliba in action during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 leg one match between Sporting CP and Arsenal FC at Estadio Jose Alvalade on March 9, 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Zed Jameson/MB Media/Getty Images)
Arsenal Notebook: Saliba’s future in the balance
Gabriel celebrates after scoring the team’s first goal with teammate William Saliba during the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Arsenal FC at Craven Cottage on March 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Extended and pending Arsenal contracts
Regular young talents in the Arsenal XI are signing contract extensions as Mikel Arteta plots a future with broken-in Gunners alongside new acquisitions. Concluding the 2022-2023 Premier League season, it’s clear Arsenal require a bit more fire power in the after burners to finish the long haul.
Despite the bitter title loss, Arteta’s side has obviously leapt in improvement, finishing within Champions League parameters for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s 2015-2016 campaign.
Arsenal sporting director Eduardo Gaspar is casting a wide net this transfer market in hopes of pulling in additional competitive personnel at the Emirates. Though bolstering the squad’s ability to rotate strong players will be pivotal in taking the next steps towards championships, retaining deserving talent will also be critical in north London.
Arsenal have currently extended the contracts of Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, rewarding well performing players and pleasing supporters. They’ve yet to re-sign 22-year-old center-back William Saliba.
The Frenchman signed for £27 million back in 2019 and took on a few loan spells before becoming the defensive mainstay he established himself in the 2022-2023 season. A crowd favorite, Saliba made 27 appearances consisting of 21 wins, three losses, and three draws before an injury prematurely ended his season and Arsenal’s energized form.
The No. 12’s criticality in the Gunners’ composed, possessive build-up play became apparent once other suitors attempted to fulfill the starter’s duties. With Rob Holding and Jakub Kiwior proving less effective in a defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhães, the backups at the Emirates seemed too weak to hold onto points.
With one year left on his contract and difficulty solving wage terms, anxiety is building to secure Saliba as a long term fixture in Arteta’s team. Reported by The Sun, Arsenal have offered the defender £120,000-a-week, an increase three times his current £40,000 weekly wage.
Even with the juiced pay check, Saliba’s representatives continue to hold out on re-signing while evaluating potential opportunities. Closely monitoring the situation, Paris Saint-Germain prepares to finger through a seemingly endless money clip to bring the Frenchman back to France.
Losing Saliba could be potentially catastrophic to Edu’s transfer market plans as prioritizing a high-level defensive target over an augmented midfield would become necessity. Losing core 2022-2023 players could be overtly risky for Arteta as it now appears the time to push for silverware; an unexpected rebuild phase could frustrate the reality of these ambitions.
