William Saliba says talks between Arsenal and his representatives over a new contract have begun.
The France international’s current deal, penned in 2019, is due to end in 2024 but the Gunners are eager to tie him down to an extension on revised terms before other clubs start sniffing around.
The 21-year-old has been in imperious form since Mikel Arteta integrated him into the first team in the summer having spent the previous three years undertaking loan spells with Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
Saliba has played every minute of the fledgling Premier League campaign helping the Gunners to the top of the table.
“Yeah, we will see,” said the defender when asked about contract talks.
“They [Arsenal and my agent] talk a little bit. [When I spoke with Arteta in the summer], he talked about my last season and he explained the project for this season.
“You have to wait every time and I wait a long time for my first north London derby. I enjoyed it since the first minute to the end, and now I am so happy. We are so happy to win at home against Tottenham. It was a hard game, but we were focused all the game. We deserve this win.”
Saliba isn’t the only Gunner in line for a new contract. Bukayo Saka is believed to be very close to committing his future to the club and Gabriel Martinelli is also in line for a pay rise even though Arsenal have an option to extend the Brazilian’s existing deal by a further year to 2025.
Super.
He’s smashing.
Talking a lot would be better than talking a little bit, then getting the new contract signed. He is a once in a generation defender (and so young for a defender) and we need to keep him for many many years…
True, but these things aren’t “done and dusted” quickly in most cases particularly in the modern game. There are so many factors – the player’s agent, the player’s family members (particularly if any advise him as sometimes happens, the player’s sponsors, and, yes, expressions of interest from other teams etc. With Saliba, I’ve a feeling it will take a little time yet. I hope he signs a new contract as we all do and there’s nothing concrete to suggest he won’t, but I guess we’ll just have to be patient and our keep fingers crossed until the ink is dry… Read more »
I dislike the agents, concentrating on the cash side and their cut, rather than the love that he will get from us throughout his career. He’ll earn more in a week than most of us (on average) will earn in several years, the game is too much about £££s.
I love the company I work for and the people I work with, and I get paid well. But I don’t work for the feels, I work for money. So I fully understand players wanting to get whatever they think they’re worth
I understand money is important for most of us but there are two things here. I doubt you earn £200,000 a week or £10m a year. And doubt you’ll earn that much in your whole life. The money is crazy. Anyone can live on that for their life. Plus they will earn more next year and probably get sponsorship deals too. But money isn’t everything. Also it is in the interests of the agent to get transfers so they get paid more, That means the system is not in the best interests of the players or fans at times when… Read more »
Surely they could introduce some form of standardised percentage payment from players’ wages to the agents, and then set a cap on the “agent fees” that can be applied to any transfer (say 5%, so the maximum fee would be £5mil). I’m sure there’d be a better way than that suggestion. But removing that incentive for an agent to look to transfer a player between clubs, and increasing any incentives towards them staying, would remove an element that often means players are “advised” by their agents to look for a move (often ill-advised). On that, we were rather lucky to… Read more »
As an American fan this aspect of football contracts is strange. Here I think the teams just pay players a huge amount and then it’s up to them to deal with the entourage.
That’s how it used to be in the U.K. the player paid the agent a percentage of his signing on fee etc but it’s become more shady with a lot more snouts in the trough.
According to an interview with Tony Adams, he says that the 4 richest people in football are all agents.
I hope all three realise they are at the start of something very special indeed. The grass is not always greener. Stay and experience something that is only on offer to a select few or leave and join man United or Chelsea 😂😂😂
He isnt going to leave for those two. City, PSG and Madrid the only likely candidates
That’s why I put the laughing emojis. The irony of it. 😂😂
It’s been a while since city raided some of our talent (fair enough we haven’t had much they’ve wanted in a decade or so) but with the passion from this young crop of players towards playing for the badge, I don’t see any of them joining another PL rival.
Sign them all up
Do do do do do do do 🎵🎶🎶🎶
If we get Saka, Martinelli and Saliba all to sign, that will be a successful season for me, add in CL, and I’m in bits I’m so happy.
These three for me have become crucial to the project…yeah, sign them up!
Cornerstones to the project!
The problem is that it’s not down to Arsenal but to the players (and all the various people surrounding/advising them). I think they will sign in the end, but the ball and the contracts are firmly in their court (or pitch) not ours.
Sign tha fucking ting!
Very good news all around
Just get it done ! He’s going to be best in world the kid & he is now crucial to this club We have to show big club mentality & intent to those lads now or the so called “Big Fish” will come a feeding ! We are at the start of something great if the young guns stay & improve we can be that “top of the league” side again ! C”Mon let’s do this !!!
A starter for a club on the rise. Players love him, fans love him, the reaction from fans after his own goal.
Why would he want to go anywhere else and possibly be on the bench
Have to agree the sky is the limit for him there’s going to be some very big vultures swarming around him even if he signs a new contract.
I winced a little at the VVD comparisons earlier on this season – now I fully endorse them. Obviously he’s still very young and he’s still a way off peak VVD but was VVD this good at 21? I can’t say I watched much of him then but I highly highly doubt it
Much more confident on the ball than VVD and quite a different player.
VVD wears William Saliba pyjamas to bed I heard.
Great news!
In all honesty, I wouldn’t expect this to be signed until next year, if it does. Saliba and his representatives will want to wait till after the World Cup, where his profile would be sky high and command a few tens of thousands per week extra onto his contract.
The France coach does not think he is mature enough for a starting berth at the World Cup, if his comments after his game against Denmark, I think, is anything to go by. France are well stocked with Upamecano, Kimpembe, joules Kounde, et. al.
So, I doubt if he’ll have enough games in the WC to take his profile that high, unless there are injuries.
I think he will sign. He is only 21; I’d be worried if he was 25.
Sign him for 5 years, and if wants to leave at his peak at 26 sell him for 150 million pounds.😄
If we signed him up for 5 years and he left at 26 it would be for free. He would need to sign another contract in that time to secure his value. But who knows what the price of a footballer will be in five years time.
Unless something drastic happens in the market – like a global dose of common sense – you’ve got to be looking at £200m for a peak Saliba in 2028/29.
Mate, he’s worth £150m now!
In five years time, at his peak, he’ll be worth close on 200m – if global inflation and market forces continue on the same trajectory.
Disclaimer: That’s not to say that I approve of said market forces – they got well out of hand donkeys years ago when Trevor Francis cost Brian Clough £1milllion.
Arsene would have put it this way: “There is a little bit the contract talk”
I know others read this with Arsene’s voice in their head
Arsene or Yoda?
Mmm now I think about it I’ve never seen them together.
If it were Yoda it would be “Contract talk a little bit there is”.
“And for the rest, we work hard and believe. After that, there is nothing more that can be done…” I miss Arsene. I hope someday he will have healed enough and made his peace with the past to come back, if only to attend a game or two and present a few pre game awards, or whatever. Yes, he said that he doesn’t want to step on Arteta’s shoes – and quite right too – but the guy is only human: he will have been hurting. Just a ‘little bit.’ I watched the Wenger documentary film last night and I’ll… Read more »
It’s always harder to judge a young central defender’s long-term quality than, say, a traditional number 10. As far as current form is concerned, I think Saliba would start for every team in the Premier League. And, as I’ve said before, I’m beginning to think we’ve seen enough, including how he did at Marseille and is playing for France, to say he is likely to become one of the best centre halves in the world. I can’t believe I am saying this, but it really does look like that.
He’s beginning to look world class, like what he says about his club and colleagues also, we’ve shown our belief in him to send him out on loan to gather his game experience and hopefully he will put pen to paper on a 5 year deal, he really makes a difference to our defence & set pieces and looks the complete CB at a young age to handle best of best in best league in the world, legend in the making..
It is amazing how things have changed so dramatically at Arsenal between last season and now. Ben White, Tomiyasu and Tierney, great players in their own right and certain starters when fit, have all lost that status in their positions. The quality has moved up some notches, and the results have shown that. Saliba pushed out White, and he in turn has not put a foot wrong at RB; Tomiyasu is now left with crumbs at the moment.Tierney can’t get in ahead of Zinchenko. I have a feeling one of Nketiah and Balogun won’t be in the team next season.… Read more »
What a difference a summer makes! We’ve seen the view from the valley and the mountain top within a few months. I take your point about players fortunes ebbing and flowing. Given the huge fixture list though, not least in this month, everyone will almost certainly get a chance so the squad as a whole will be really tested. I saw the story about Balogun. I guess it’s down to what is offered, if there is one. He’s got off to a fantastic start though and I wonder if Arteta isn’t looking for another Saliba-type return to The Emirates after… Read more »
If Balogun maintains his form there is no chance he’ll be signing permanently for Reims. He’ll have considerable value. He was also very clear in a recent interview that the loan is for his development to return to Arsenal. Plus it’s not that long ago he signed a new contract.
Just the Tip Sal please
I want him to sign and I get the feeling it’s probably 80/20 that he will. But if he doesn’t, given what Chelsea paid for Wesley Fofana, I think there will be a mad auction from the likes of Real Madrid, PSG and Man City to shell out up to £100m – even with a year left on his contract. That would be a handsome profit for us to invest in someone else which would make a welcome change from paying the likes of Ozil, Kolasinac and Mustafi to go away. And at least we would have him for this… Read more »
Nobody at the club would allow him to go – no matter the cost
He seems like a guy who would go glory hunting to clubs like Bayern, Real Madrid etc.. so tie him down and get a bounty for him
I get the same vibe. He is very circumspect when he speaks and holds his cards close to the vest.
I wouldn’t wish it on him, but if he has an appalling World Cup it might help us to finalise the contract. Am I bad to think like this?
I wonder how a France rejection for the WC will affect his attitude towards a new contract.
It could either make him wanna work more and avoid risking his upwards trajectory and hence sign.
OR it could make him feel like if he was at PSG for example he would have more chances.
On the other hand if he goes… it could either make him feel too good for The Arsenal
OR happy and make him stay…
Hes 21… Let him grow. What ever happens this WC if he plays or not it shouldnt stop him from backing himself. Sign the contract, go at 25 and join Real/PSG then. Hes in the right place to develop and bring our club back to its glory days. Hes got plenty of time to experience la liga or whatever he wants, but for his development it makes sense for him to stay in one place and establish himself a true boss. Sign da ting
He would’ve excelled anywhere, Arsenal are not exactly the only club that develops talent