Bukayo Saka has given a clear indication that he’s close to signing a new contract at Arsenal by suggesting he shares Mikel Arteta’s confidence that a deal will be done.
The England international’s current contract, signed in 2020, is set to run until 2024 but the Gunners want to add at least two years to fend off interest from rivals. It’s expected the 20-year-old will become one of the club’s highest earners in the process.
Quizzed on the negotiations a couple of weeks ago, Arteta said: “I’m very confident that we as a club, Bukayo, his family, his agent, everybody, we are very much aligned with what we want to achieve. Now it’s about putting it on a piece of paper.”
When his manager’s words were relayed to him ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Aston Villa, Saka replied: “Yes, I share his confidence”.
He added: “I feel like the manager’s always there for me. He knows when to speak to me, it’s not too much but it’s not too little and the different bits of advice he gives me are special and it makes such a difference.
“I really feel at home here. I really feel the love from my teammates, my coaches and the fans as well. I really feel loved here.”
Since breaking into the first team during Unai Emery’s tenure, Saka has been nothing short of outstanding scoring 23 goals and making 30 assists in 135 appearances. Along the way, he’s been voted Arsenal’s player of the year.
He is the poster boy of Mikel Arteta’s project and getting him to commit will be a big W for the manager at a time when the feel-good factor is coursing through the club.
Its close for so long that my anxiety dont want me to believe in what I read anymore
I was a bit nervous, won’t lie, but he’s said this now I think we’re all good.
A priceless player. He’s gonna keep getting better because his football IQ is so high. I don’t think we say that enough about him. People worry about his g+a but the tactical discipline he plays with at such a young age is his biggest asset imo
And the lack of ego, all in it for the team. The boy’s stayed humble.
I believe he will sign because He is an Arsenal kid to the core, so Like we’ve always said to fan favourites before you, “sign da ting” son
I always knew he would stay. Couldn’t afford the mistake Oxlade-Chamberlain made,could he?
What mistake is that !?!?
Man’s won the champions league and the league and still, he made a mistake !?!? 😂😂
If that’s a mistake, then it sure is the best mistake to make as far as football is concerned !!
The Ox is a relatively insignificant cog in Liverpool’s machine. He’s not the player he should’ve been. He should be a starter for England but now he gets overlooked. Because he hasn’t been first choice his growth as a player has been stunted. That’s aligned with injuries too of course.
Some forget what an outrageously talented player he was as a kid.
Yea but the ox wasn’t on saka level, he hadn’t even nailed down a position by the time he left us.
If saka went to city/ liverpool he’d be first name on team sheet within a month
Ox was part of a squad that won the CL. It is hard to see him as indispensable at Liverpool.
They’ve a good saying in America for ox’s part in liverpool’s recent success. They would call him a sidecar. He’s won a few medals, but his career has went backwards. He was an England regular and looked like becoming a great player. In a few years he will be remembered as an liverpool equivalent of David May.
Still boggles my mind that after all he’s done and all he’s been through, he’s only 20! Can’t imagine what kind of player he’ll be at 25. Hopefully an Arsenal one.
I love this kid, I love him more than I love Jack Wilshere, which is a lot.
I don’t think I should be calling him a kid either I’m only 3 yrs older than him.
Then you are both kids…
Better say “I love this player” then. You can’t call him a kudvif you are only 3 years older than him.
He said kudvif
Shouldn’t call him a kudvif even if you are 30 years older than him!
What on earth is a “kundvif”??
Is kudvif the new covfefe?
Tee hee hee hee. You comedians just leave me in stitches, I swear
😜
LoL🤣👍
Cam by your name that youre a kid
Can tell by your name that youre a kid
Hope he signs with a prohibitive buy out clause in the contract. MA and co can then fully focus on taking his game a notch or two higher to Mo Salah levels. The potential is clearly there.
Get it done Edu! Saliba next.
Or we could just not have a buy out clause at all and set whatever fee we want? I don’t get the point of buyout clauses. Even if they are high they make the player potentially attainable. Like Haaland’s at Dortmund. It looks like a pittance now.
I think that much of it is down to “mine is bigger than yours” in many cases. It’s what you do with it, if anything, that counts.
Haaland’s clause at Dortmund was quite low on purpose as that was one of the conditions of him going there. He was clear that it was a temporary move.
Release clauses are required in Spain (I think it’s a matter of employment law, but it might be the Spanish FA) and I think in other countries as well. The idea is that it protects the player from an unreasonable refusal to sell.
OK, so it’s just two more years, not a new 5 or 6 year deal. That’s only temporary relief then.
Current one runs till 2024 so plus 2 years put it st 2026.
I don’t think any player will sign a 7 years deal current plus 5 you are suggesting.
Harry Kane would.
Add at least two more years to the current deal. So if you add two or even three to the current two, you get 4 or even 5.
Glad to have helped 😉
Depends what Saka/his agent want at this stage – the ball is in their court. The club clearly wants to ensure he won’t get into the “one year remaining” scenario as several other Arsenal players have done over the years. I guess two additional years mentioned in some reports represents a reasonable extension as both parties can review things at the new midway point which would be Summer 2024. As we all know though, if push comes to shove a contract (of any length) won’t prevent a player from leaving a club if they really want to or the only… Read more »
Even 2 extra years (so a 4 year contract) would be great. Means he’ll stick around with us for at least a few more years, and from the business side his asset value is protected (his value is only likely to go up as he gets olders & more experienced)
We love you Saka, we do, oh Saka we love you!
We need to get Champions League for this boy and Saliba.
And Martinelli!
You can add Jesus, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Martinelli, ESR, Gabriel and Ramsdale to that list.
5th or below is no longer an option.
Amazing the talk of him having a slow start this term. Maybe, but perhaps the fact he is drawing three players to him at all times is what has created rhe space for our captain to embark on a scoring spree.
Player so loved that even the Villa squad downed tools after their manager got into a squabble with him.
Pepe was double-marked in all his time here and still tried better than Saka has done on many occasions at the start of this season and start of last season. I didn’t see many clapping for Pepe’s ability to attract Defenders. I love Bukayo, but it’s okay that he’s feeling the heat. Least we can do to help him now that he’s yet to have someone pushing for his place. He needs to know he’s underperformed so far. Just as he did at the start of last season before he picked things up. Maybe he’s just a slow starter? We’ll… Read more »
I agree with you.
I still remember when Arteta kept starting William ahead of Pepe.
Oh… and we had Cedric at RB to ‘assist’ Pepe.
To be fair, they’re not mutually exclusive. I think he’s played well, and totally agree about creating extra space with the amount of attention he’s now getting, but he should have two goals to his name and currently has none.
He’s not started slowly, but a little lacking in end product in my opinion. No cause for concern, but no harm in noting these things. I’m expecting a goal this evening and the floodgates to open for him, he looks very dangerous.
I feel like he just looks like he’s not doing so well because of the player’s around him, there was a time not long ago he was our best player, no question, but now we have quite a few players around his level so he’s not standing out as much
Like we would all say: sign da ting, Saka.😍
No, some of us would say sign the contract.
Meanwhile Willian might return to the PL via Fulham. They looked like a strong team when we played them. What do they need that useless lump for?
Who cares?
They and their fans were getting just a bit too big for their Jimmy Hill Craven Cottage boots on Saturday.
A good dollop of Willian crapness is just what they need to remind them of their place and what they truly are.
Third rate rubbish.
That is a weird one – Fulham gave us a scare and then beat Brighton last night. Why would they employ a Chelsea Pensioner to stand on the wing and pass backwards?
Don’t forget that he strops when reminded that he’s shit. Another one of his endearing traits.
When you think of the players we have bought, loaned out and sold this transfer window, with possibly one more to come in and a couple more to leave, if we also extend Saliba, Saka and Martinelli, it will surely be the best transfer window in Arsenal’s history.
To be the best window in Arsenal’s history, we would have to go on to win the league.
Otherwise it doesn’t compare to, for example, the summers of 97, 01, 03.
Get this done early doors Arsenal.
The last thing we need is the fucking media poking their gleeful “Will he?/Won’t he?” oars in where they’re definitely not needed.
Good news. It will be interesting to see how long the extension is (on top of the almost two seasons remaining). He’s certainly worth more than the £30k we’re reportedly paying him currently. That’s around half of what Arsenal are supposed to be paying AMN (no buyers for him so far, apparently).