According to ESPN, William Saliba has rejected Arsenal’s first contract offer as the club look to tie him down to a new long-term deal.
It’s claimed by James Olley that both parties are willing participants in the negotiations, which will step up again next week, and that the Gunners remain confident the 21-year-old will stay at Emirates Stadium past 2024 when his current contract, which was recently extended by a year, ends.
Saliba moved to Arsenal from Saint Etienne in 2019 but only made his senior debut in August after three loan spells back in France. Last season at Marseille, he was crowned Ligue 1 player of the season and on his return to London, Mikel Arteta was suitably impressed by his development.
In a recent interview with Jamie Carragher, the manager reflected: “The moment that Saliba came in and I looked at the amount of development he had in the last year at Marseille, I said, we need to adapt and straight away.”
Since pre-season Saliba has formed a formidable partnership with Gabriel in the heart of the Gunners’ defence playing all but 14 minutes of the Premier League campaign.
The defender has also become a fixture in the France senior squad and featured once at the World Cup as his country finished runners-up.
Several clubs, including Paris Saint Germain, are monitoring Saliba’s situation but it’s thought Arsenal are in a decent place to get a deal done with Champions League football likely to be on offer next season.
Speaking after the win at Sp*rs, Saliba was open about his representatives negotiating a new deal and said he was “so happy” at Arsenal.
Saliba to Chelsea? 😂
500k a week for 10 years
Yeah, bye bye Troll.
Shhh… We don’t want Boehly here.😳😀😀
dont joke bro… Its too much!
I was going to post the exact same thing!
If they could do it they would, but I don’t see him going there. It doesn’t look good to me, I see a transfer to PSG coming in the summer.
And what if we win the title?
Maybe he’ll see that as even more of a reason to leave, job done. Perhaps. It seems to me we are moving into a new era in football. More and more clubs are owned not as investment vehicles but vanity projects or for sportswashing. The normal economic rules don’t apply to them as they do to us and other clubs such as Liverpool who are based on fiscal realities. How we compete with such recklessness is an interesting question, and as with Mudryk we can be out-gunned financially at any minute. This is why I’m a bit sceptical regarding Saliba’s… Read more »
Maybe you haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about, job done.
Agreed. Think he’ll leave. Looks more motivated by money than winning. Anytime these players start contract talks for huge money, they plateau on consistently playing well. Hazard, Auba, Ozil, Salah, Sterling, Neymar, Mbappe, Bale etc. The odds aren’t in the favor of players who play well for big money then get the contract, The most consistent players are the ones on humble contracts pushing to be great in my opinion.
Heh.
You jest…..
Still mid-table, but they’ll need a double decker dressing room soon.
I do not think players should forfeit let’s say 75K more a week for a club. If clubs do not want you, you get dumped. But I really want him to stay.
Get the deal done!
Probably had Todd Bullion in his ear.
Wad Bully
Chad Bulky?
Bulk Barn
Todger Buoy
Tad Bonad
Todger Gonad.
Tall Boner
More like Small Boner.
Toad Bully even.
Whatever it takes please !!! Get it done !!!
All the cards are held by Saliba and his agent. Their reaction to our second offer should provide a pointer to their thinking. Fingers crossed.
Mate, you should go on ‘Mastermind.’
Chosen Specialised Subject: The Bleedin’ Obvious.
Edu on thin ice
I love that show! Who else is on this year’s edition?
He is.
He’s letting Arteta down, he’s letting the players down – and he’s letting the fans down.
The money is THERE – it took him two months to put on the table for Mudryk what Chelsea did in a matter of days.
The guy needs to fucking wake up and start paying market value.
Arteta will only take so much of this or – down the line – he too will be off.
How do you know all this? your insight is exceptional on the day to day business.
It’s insight pal, just common sense.
So 100m for 40 games in ukraine and 6 cl games with 2 of his goals against rangers for mudryk is market value, shut the f*** up.
Well you’re about to find out what life is like trying to win a title with a paper thin squad.
Yeah, I’ll shut the fuck up.
Because so will you if either Saka or Martinelli pick up a long term injury.
Have you not heard of budgeting?
Have you not heard of market forces?
Have you not heard of outliers?
Have you not heard (herd?) of sheep?
Have you not a herd of antlers?
ROFL…We should start a new reality TV show called “budgeting with billionaires”. I imagine it’s be a top rater because it seems most people seem very concerned about how Stan so morally spends his billions on dollars.
Apparently Edu *and* Arteta were tapping up Mudryk months before tabling an offer which put Shaktar owner’s nose out of joint and they started playing hard ball (fair enough). I mean I’m clearly not as clued up as you are on these matters but would seem to me that Edu isn’t the only one to blame for that. And hasn’t Edu overseen some pretty decent transfers lately?
He has, I’m not disputing that.
My concerns lie with our ability to keep our top players.
Not much point in developing or signing these guys if you can’t keep hold of them when they become successful.
I wonder how much not having another French speaker in the club is important to him.
I can imagine it must be at least semi important.
Imo we should go in for Diaby or one of the other talented young French wingers out there. It may well help our Willy in the long run.
As far as I’m aware, his centre half partner Gabriel also speaks French (as a result of his time at Lyon). Arteta speaks French too (among other languages).
*his time at Lille
Lokonga is Belgian so speaks French. If it’s an issue, we could always bring Pepe back from loan 😬
Exactl re: Lokonga. They both seem to be quite close and I figured it’s because they speak same language.
Being serious, we cannot lose this lad. Serious talent and would hate to see him at one of the vultures.
Making signings is also a good way to prove how serious the club is moving forward.
Exactly.
Another reason why our dithering over Mudryk (a player greatly wanted by Arteta never mind all the ‘experts’ on this page) was inexcusable.
There was no dithering. Arsenal was willing to go only so high on the financial package, and in the end, Shaktar and Arsenal realized an agreement was not likely to be reached in January but rather in the summer. Only after that did Chelsea fly out to meet them in Turkey and negotiate the deal with the club and player. That is, by the time Chelsea came in, Arsenal were already out. At the end of the day, it is about cash. Shaktar wanted more than Arsenal thought the deal was worth to them. The rest of the noise is… Read more »
I KNOW it’s about cash!! I was the one getting down voted down for protesting the pittance that the club were initially offering. We should have gone in £80m tops before Christmas and got the deal over the line. We didn’t. We wasted everyone’s time by going in with two laughable bids. And then came out with a statement saying we weren’t prepared to get into a bidding war. That’s exactly what we were doing…….!!! The same is now happening with Saliba and unless this club WAKE THE FUCK UP and start putting decent money on the table, then this… Read more »
You can only field 11 players.
For £80m Mudryk would have gone on the bench !! Otherwise you put martinelli on the bench. either way ESR will never start a match and may only rarely come on as a substitute unless there is an injury. that’s overspending for an impact substitue.
It’s a squad game now mate.
And ours, as you will see, is painfully thin.
Title race? FA Cup? Europa League?
You’ll catch up, eventually, although I have my doubts.
Never mind, mate. The same bandwagon crowd downvoting you today would slay Edu and company in few years time if Mudryk goes on to become the super star many have predicted and win chelsea trophies. Then the 100m would look like peanuts.
The ignorance on here is truly staggering, I must admit. What people can’t seem to get into their FIFA 23 heads is that Mikel Arteta wanted him and Edu was (eventually) pushed to put £80m on the table – so the kid must be doing something right. Whether he’s a success at Chelsea now is peripheral in many ways. For the record I don’t think he will be half as successful at Chelsea as he would undoubtedly have been in this Arteta side; Potter hasn’t got a fucking clue what he is doing. If Chelsea happen upon a half decent… Read more »
By my count, at least 8 of the 11 starting last Sunday were Edu signings. It would have been 9 if Jesus was fit.
He’s probably doing ok.
Where do you get your information from mate? I don’t think it’s ‘quality’ let’s put it that way. No offence.
Chelsea have a spare half a billion to take a £100m punt on a mostly unproven young talent. We don’t.
It’s as simple as that.
Swallow it up and wallow in the misery of being 8 points clear.
We have an owner who is one of the richest men in the world. In addition wife is the heiress of the Walmart fortune.
So don’t start trying to tell me that the cupboard is bare.
Swallow that up and pray neither Saka or Martinelli or Partey get injured.
Man United spent 100M on Antony and are probably regretting it now because he is ass. If Arsenal didn’t feel Mudryk was worth that amount, then so be it. It’s not for you to start using that as a yardstick to stir up some kind of negativity.
I do not agree
Cool.
Treat yourself to an extra thumb down.😂
Have one on me! 😂👎
Get it done or sell him for 200’000’000 plus add on, plus sell on clause plus buyback clause. If mudryk is worth that money….
And then donate 10 quid to some charity that we don’t look too much like creedy cunts
Bit for real… Get it done
Sure, we should hope we get it done. But if not, he won’t go for crazy money. He’s a defender with a year left on his contract, we’d be lucky to get the money we spent back for him.
Premier league winner, worldcup runner up, one of the best defenders
I like your optimism! But when it comes to selling players for good money we haven’t got a great recent history. Perhaps Edu will be able to change that.
Sorry mate, that is absolute crap.
He’s already one of the best centre halves in the world; we could name our price now, never mind if we also win the title.
Well if Wesley Fofana is £80m them in comparison Saliba is £120m minimum, not that I would entertain such foolishness.
The only thing that’s foolish here mate is Arsenal coming out with Toy Town money and expecting to sign and/or keep world class players.
(Downvoters – down vote me all you want. The truth clearly hurts)
We all love him, he is really fantastic, but he wasn’t a first pick for France in the World Cup so ‘best in the world’ is a bit of a stretch right now.
This, for me, is the best reason for him to stay. He still has a lot to prove in England even if we win the league. He should stay until we’re 3 times champions and CL winners then go for 200m somewhere!
And we’re going to win that lot operating as we do?
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
Lot of people with blinkers on over this they don’t to see the potential for him to leave, he could be Madrid player for the next ten years he’s at that level and as you say we will only get small money if he’s into his final year. We’d all be clambering for him to sign the new deal but it’s very possible he will go elsewhere.
Everything crossed he signs on with us of course, it would be huge as he’s already a fantastic player and will only get better.
But money talks and other clubs will offer him more than we can. And I don’t at this moment see a personal attachment to the club in the way Saka or Martinelli have.
Its a delicate situation, balancing these contract offers. If you give him silly money, that probably cause you some problems down the line with others like ødegaard, saka, martinelli etc. if you give them all 200+ a/week you probably blow your budget
Well, perhaps Odegaard, Saliba and Martinelli will all leave (they will if the club offer them shit money) and then you’ll have your precious fucking budget intact.
Erm, didn’t they just exercise the option to extend his (and Saka’s) contracts by a year for that very reason?
Happy, but determined to get the best deal – and you can’t blame him for that. Let’s see what happens with the inevitable second offer from Arsenal.
Several other clubs will be watching closely of course as the article mentions. And as we know from Mr Mudryk, the offer lots of dosh from elsewhere can make a difference despite what a player may say about their club.
Hopefully though, Saliba will sign but as they say, the deal ain’t done ’till the ink is dry on the contract.
Thanks for telling us all again what we all knew already….🙄
Here we fucking go again – penny pinching….!!!
FFS Arsenal, PAY THE GUY WHAT HE IS WORTH.
This club make my teeth itch at times.
Last season we spent more on players than any other club in the world…not exactly penny pinching.
I do agree though that we should prioritize this deal above all others.
Who shat in your cornflakes?
An incompetent board and a football club sleepwalking it’s way back to mid table if it doesn’t wake up.
Still, you keep your blinkers on mate.
We’re top of the league by 8 points … “incompetent board and a football club sleepwalking it’s way back to mid table” …heh
I’m talking about our transfer negotiations – just in case you hadn’t noticed.
Context? Hello? 🙄
*transfer and contract negotiations
Anyone who accepts the first offer simply hasn’t negotiated.
Tony Adams used to, bless his heart.
Give him more wages and the deal is done, Edu.😀
Saliba has been/will be offered much more money that he is currently getting and I think he’ll sign. However, Arsenal have worked hard for several years to get the club out of the position they were in – going back to the final years of AW – of having players on huge contracts (Ozil being the worst example but there were several others) that made the wage bill unsustainable.
While Saliba (and Saka/Martinelli as well) will all be offered very good contracts indeed, I don’t see Arsenal literally “breaking the bank” and putting the club back where it was before.
Hate to break it to you mate, this whole existence of football is unsustainable.
Pay the man!
Spot on.
At the moment, we clearly aren’t.
Dangerous game to be playing….
He is looking for the best deal possible because 20% of the proceeds will go to France to help with wine production.
Yeah… and 20% of Martinelli’s will build another Jesus statue in Brazil
This one wearing a number 9?
I can’t imagine him going to another country where he has to learn another language and start all over again.
PSG is the only destination possible after us. But they would pay top dollar for Saliba as many other teams would start a bidding war. I’d be interested to know if the extension also included a hefty pay rise to get an indication of what it would take to renegotiate but also to protect his value against other teams
Why not? At that age I had lived in 5 countries and spoke as many languages well enough to get by. While adapting to a new environment can sometimes be tricky, I really don’t think this is much of a consideration for a young player. When you have kids who go to school, moving might get trickier (hence the “X wants to stay in London”), but for a kid like Saliba, the excitement of something new might even be a lure.
I relate to this, I speak English and Glaswegian fluently but can get by in many others, it’s all about the attitude…
Real Madrid could come knocking for him and we’d be powerless to stop him leaving that’s the reality
Another one who’s been brainwashed into thinking we’re skint.
Unbelievable.
My feeling is that he holds all the cards and he will not be an Arsenal player this time next year. It’s not what I want to happen of course but I just think that if he really wanted to stay the noises would be a bit more ‘just get me a pen’ and a bit less ‘my agent is talking to the club and I am just focusing on my football.’ In any case, if he decides to not sign an extension he will go for huge, huge money, way more than we paid St Etienne, and more than… Read more »
I’ve always thought he’d run his contract down. Was on loan for too long and should have extended sooner. Hope I’m wrong though but our bargaining position is weak.
Agreed, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t already have a plan lined up with PSG, probably hope to sign for free in 18 months or on the (relative) cheap in the summer.
Spud talk.
If you’re worried about PSG, they don’t care about transfer fees.
Good point, but if he declares he’s only interested in going to PSG, either this summer or the one after, there will be no bidding war for him and we’d have to accept what PSG offered or nothing in one year. Reality, unfortunately.
Don’t think he would go there. Instead, he has Real Madrid written all over him….if he doesn’t stay with us for at least another 3 years.
I think what he said was fairly promising actually. He said:
“I am so happy here. The club is speaking with my agent and me, the only thing I can do is focus on my football. I am so happy here”
Sounds fine to me, typical thing to say when negotiations are ongoing, it’s very rare for players to do a Martinelli and say they’re definitely signing
I don’t understand why AFC is getting miserly with their own players who just saw you willing to pay as much as £75 million for a Ukrainian.
Saliba as been so fantastic for us this season give him a befitting package that will make feel valuable and ward off any interested suitors
How do you know we’re being miserly? Have you seen the contract he was offered?
Heh.
And how do you know it WASN’T miserly?
Given the pathetic bids we put in initially for Mudryk, our current track record in negotiating realistic market value numbers leaves a lot to be desired.
Since you were obviously privy to all the negotiations (presumably as a fly on the wall), maybe you can enlighten us with the details. Don’t forget to quote exactly how much he was offered in this “first leg” of the talks.
You don’t have to be a ‘fly on the wall’
All you have to see is the penny pinching dogs dinner we’ve made of trying to sign Vlahovic, Raphinha, Douglas Luiz and now Mudryk.
You don’t have to be David Ornstein to know that this first contract bid would have been yet another embarrassing pittance.
Enough qwalitee ,ur begining to lean too much on emotion. If u wanna follow mudryk ,raphina ,vlahovic n co then fine .
Just listing the players we missed out on due to poor negotiating from our board.
That’s not ‘leaning on emotion’, that’s stating a fact.
How much should a Ukrainian be worth? In today’s market, more or less than a Frenchman?
Don’t talk soft!
A player’s worth is in his ability and work rate, not his nationality.
How are you even complaining right now? We’ve done fantastic transfer business that has led to this squad and this position in the league! Penny pinching is absolutely needed if you’re running a club with a modicum of fiscal responsibility. It’s easy to say the money’s there but in all likelihood there’s a number of factors that will be important including cash flow, debt etc., not to mention setting precedents within the squad .. Gabriel is just as important as Saliba, why should he not get more? Why not Ben White? And so on… The fact is we can’t afford… Read more »
Right. Time for a reality check. City will spend big in the summer. Newcastle will spend big in the summer. Chelsea will spend big in the summer. And Utd are in talks with a proposed takeover by Apple – which, if it happens, will make them richer than PSG. So, all this talk of Arsenal being the best in the business is in even greater danger than before. If we don’t max the shit out of this opportunity of being eight clear of City and secure the contracts of Saliba, Saka and Martinelli (if those three go, Arteta goes) and… Read more »
He’s probably been given a very good offer, but they (him and his agent) know that in negotiations the first offer will be followed by a 2nd, and they know we don’t want to lose him. For some reason I’m not too worried, he is super important in our team, we’re challenging for the big trophy and he will probably want to stick around for 2-3 years to see if we really are becoming one of the hottest clubs on the planet. He’s also surely well connected with his teammates, especially the young ones (and we have an abundance of… Read more »
150k-175k/week shouldn’t be a problem for AFC to offer such a young and very efficient Saliba.
COYG please note that Todd Bullion is on mission to derail us and he’s probably getting first info concerning this Salaiba/AFC avoidable and unnecessary negotiations
Todd Boner can blow himself
He can’t. That’s why he hijacks everyone else’s deals. The fat cunt!
He’s probably compensating for something
I’d imagine we’re probably looking at more than that to extend him at this point. We’ve just let his contract run down too far to get any sort of major discount. He seems happy, so I’m sure he won’t but unsignable, but we’re probably going to need to pay up for him with him having all of the leverage.
£200k a week shouldn’t be a problem for this club, never mind £150 – £175k.
I would be offering him at least £180k a week.
Any player would be daft to take the first offer at 21. You are guaranteed to make more on the second and third offers.
Or you realise you’re in a good place while making it clear what it takes to sign a new contract. By that I don’t mean holding the club over a barrel, you stay within reason. There must be no tolerance for greed.
Failing that he can chance it and do an Oxlade-Chamberlain. It may work or it may not. Didn’t work out so well for Oxlade-Chamberlain.
That’s true.
But you can rest assured that what Arsenal have offered here – if the Mudryk bids are anything to go by – is probably an utter joke.
How is what we’ve offered a joke? We were prepared to break our transfer record, go above the fee we paid for Pepe. Pool paid half of that for Gakpo, who should be valued higher than mudryk due to his standing and experience. Just because we didn’t want to accept the madness of the fee shaktar was asking for an unproven (7 gls in Ukraine, 3 in CL, less than 50 starts) and chelski were (and it’d be interesting to know if they’d do what they did if we didn’t get this close to landing him), doesn’t mean we’re incompetent.… Read more »
Every time I saw him at the world cup I felt the pressure of mbappe tapping him up. The lure of psg is probably impossible to repel for a young Frenchman. Hope Edu can pull off a miracle
“The lure of psg is probably impossible to repel for a young Frenchman.”
He’s a major player at a top club in the best league in the world. Why would anyone swap that for the plastic that is PSG?
€€€€ and to play at the premier club in his own country. Why did Mbappe sign on to stay with the club?
Because the French League is s joke compared to the PL. PSG is a monstrosity in that joke of a league. Mbappe went for the greedy money and appears to be unfulfilled. He’s wasted there.
If that’s what Saliba wants he can have it. Let him live to regret it at the end of his career. Or he can stay with us and achieve real things.
Historically, the very top French players went to Juve and Madrid, not England (Zidane the most obvious example). I think Saliba will stay with us for several years, and then head to Spain, not France. Really, I’m more interested in hoping I’m right about that “several years” part.
Historically, Nottingham Forest is a force in European football.
Yeah, but Trevor Francis was a bit before Zidane. Look at Henry, who was not a huge star when he came to Arsenal, became a great player for us and then went to Spain. Ditto Patrick. Benzema, quite suited to the Prem–think a much quicker Harry Kane–has never palyed here. Nor Griezmann. Or, for that matter, look at Mbappe–if he leaves PSG, where is he likely to go?
He probably wants to stay with Arsenal. He probably loves this club and the fans with every fibre of his being. But would YOU stay with your employers if they weren’t paying you what you knew to be your market value worth….? Or if you’re self employed, would you continue to do the put up with an unsatisfactory wage, if you clearly knew you deserved better…? Players like William Saliba do NOT grow on trees. We have spent millions and millions for two decades, trying to find a centre half partnership like Saliba and Gabriel. And now we’re trying to… Read more »
Neymar? Mbappe turning down Real? Messi going there?
Neymar is a classic example of someone taking the money and enjoying the easy glory of playing for a monstrosity that has basically bought a domestic league. That’s all they have ever won.
Messi? He was desperate to stay where he was and since he was forced to move he has looked like a lost soul.
He has played brilliantly for PSG.
Who? If course PSG are brilliant in the French League. How hard can that be with their backing? That’s why the club is such a monstrosity.
Seriously mate, what is your problem with people earning money…..?
Is it the player’s fault that tv companies and oil magnets have destroyed the infrastructure of the game since the early 90’s…..?
Are you trying to tell me that if you were 21 and could play like Neymar or Messi then you’d be doffing your cap at Colchester Utd on £500 a week?
Keep your communist rhetoric for the pub.
“Seriously mate, what is your problem with people earning money…..?”
None what so ever. Greed is not about earning money. Greed is a disease that eats the soul out of everything it touches. Do you not understand the difference?
“Keep your communist rhetoric for the pub.”
Spud talk.
Magnate. Although an oil magnet would be an extremely useful invention. 🙂
Yeah. Damn auto. Well spotted. 🍺
please stop offending communists!
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
And, although he’s s Paris kid, he played and was lionised at Marseille–where the hatred of PSG makes our attitude to Spurs look like gentle banter,
He’s only 21. Makes sense to do at least a few more years in the PL, he has little to lose by signing on. He’s got plenty of time to move wherever he wants later in his career
My only worry is that he might think a Bosman in 18 months would be attractive
That’s like saying every young Englishman wants to play for Manchester City. Do they?
Watch out Toad Ghoulies will get his wallet out again.
Sign the ting Willi
Crud Bellicose!
Is he worth 200K a week? For me yes. Give him what he wants.
judging by the down votes people think no? If he said 200k a week or I leave, you’d want him gone?
If he’s a greedy pig and that’s his entire MO I’ll want him gone so fast his feet won’t touch the ground.
Thank God you’re not on the board.
We’d be in a relegation dogfight, with Mustafi and Co still at the club.
It totally depends. If Saka, Martinelli , Odegaard etc we’re getting 120k a week and Saliba says 200k or I leave, then maybe yes. We would then have to make those players earn the same/more money and that means hundreds of thousands more per week being spent. Yes he is a key player but we have a structure, a budget, harmony in the squad…it’s amazing what a large wage for one person can do to unsettle others. I’d be shocked if he was asking for that kind of money right now anyway but I’m not worried…Arsenal prob will offer him… Read more »
Saka and Martinelli will have 2 years left on their contract at the end of this season, both are going to be making 200k per week very soon. If we try to keep our core making considerably less than the rest of the top clubs in England are paying, we’re going to lose our core. That’s not saying these guys are going to need Ronaldo money, but to expect them to sign new deals that are significantly under market value after we’ve allowed their contracts to wind down is unrealistic.
Hallelujah!
Someone else out there gets it!!
Phew!!
👏 🍺 🍺 😂
I would say this. The reason we are doing what we are doing isn’t any one player, the way we’ve been playing since Jesus was injured should show that. It is the team Arteta has put together, and although there are extremely talented individuals in there, it’s the group that counts. Anyone who threatens that by thinking they’re better than the rest and demand stupid money should be shown the door, for as much money as possible of course. If we didn’t have Saliba and had played White and Tomiyasu in defence this season I wouldn’t expect a dramatic difference… Read more »
Can’t believe the muppets who have down voted this. He is one of the best centre halve pairing this club have had since Toure and Campbell – hell, this starting XI is the best we have had since the Invincibles – you pay them their worth. It’s taken this club two decades to get back to where we are now; this is NOT fucking FIFA 23, teams like the one we have now are a rarity, a beautiful accident. You don’t start penny pinching these guys – especially with the vultures already circling – you pay them what they are… Read more »
If he wants 200k a week, sell him in the summer – start a bidding war and we’d get decent money for him.
Naive. If a world class player on your books wants £200 grand a week you PAY him £200 grand a week. Otherwise what is the point of aspiring to be the best club in the world…..? Where exactly do you want Arsenal Football Club? Top of the Premiership? Then you need – as we are doing at the moment – to employ world class players. And, sorry to say, but if you’re not going to pay those top players their market value, you lose them. And in our case you don’t just lose William Saliba, you also lose Bukayo Saka.… Read more »
How can people downvote this….?
Pathetic, absolutely pathetic.
Respectfully, you sound like you’re in some pain, and could take some time off from discussing football with anonymous strangers. There’s more in life than that.
I’m alright, I’m fine. Never felt better!
The only ‘pain’ is the sheer naivety (and in some cases downright ignorance) being displayed here.
I’ve already said enough, but if this club allow Saliba to go in the next year or so, because they’re not prepared to pay him properly, then really what is the fucking point of Arteta trying to build a world class team when he’s being undermined by the board.
I have to say I agree with Mentalista, I think, hope, you take a break as I don’t think you’re doing yourself any favours. Do you think Edu or the board are in the slightest bit interested in your comments here? If I could post that ‘old man tells at cloud’ meme here I would as it seems fitting. In all seriousness, if you scroll back and do read this Qwalitee, take a second to appreciate some positive things, it might do you good 🙂
I look forward to your sarcastic reply!
If Edu and the board aren’t interested in Arsenal fans opinions, we all need to start worrying.
Qualitee has his monthly’s I’m guessing
Yeah. Hilarious. 👏
Let’s hope we’re all still laughing in May, when the Premiership is being handed out and Saliba is in the process of – or has already – signed his contract extension.
The downvoters think that if we let this Saliba go, another one can be found in a trice.
The small matter of the fact that it’s taken us two decades to get a team like this is beyond their comprehension.
They’re all so glued to FIFA 23, they can’t tell the difference between the pixels and real life.
No, he is not worth £200K Otherwise you need to raise the other two, Saka and Martinelli to over £250K and possibly £300K, which is £40,000,000 on 3 players, then you need to renew other players and attract competition. Arsenal is not penny pinching. The benchmark for a Bosman is Nkietah at £100pw for 5 years, which was quite high for an unproven striker. So if he runs down his contract, and plays well and does not get injured, yes, he will probably be offered by Arsenal around £200000 pw or more but next summer and not now. By then… Read more »
He won’t forget the fans chanting his name after an own goal. He’ll sign (I hope).
If the club are offering him shit money, he won’t sign.
Simple as that.
Not sure it’s as simple as ‘shit’ money, but there will always be clubs who can offer more money than us, and if that’s what the lad wants there’s nothing we can do about it.
Rubbish. Stan Kroenke is one of the richest men in the world. His wife Ann Walton Kroenke is the heiress to the Walmart fortune. We could – and should – be able to afford any player Arteta wanted and to table market forces salaries for our current best players. Stan Kroenke is a businessman. He will know that in order to accumulate you need to speculate. He will be all too aware of our current position and the likelihood of our first Premiership in two decades. He will also be aware of the global financial revenues winning the Premiership will… Read more »
If we can keep this team together we will do great things.
Sign da ting Willy
The only way we keep this team together is to pay them what they’re worth – their market value.
Anything less and they WILL go.
That also goes for Saka, Martinelli, Ramsdale – any of them.
You keep saying this as if it’s simple. What does a massive increase in a couple of players wages do to our overall wage structure? How would it affect other transfers? FFP? We pay less in wages than several clubs in the league. Breaking open our wage hierarchy could have more ramifications than you think. I don’t disagree ultimately though, if we want to be top we have to pay top wages…but eventually not overnight.
FFP? 😂
Saliba loves Arsenal. He is enjoying his football, his teammates, the fans’ serenade and the title race. But I feel the “treatment” he received before now still rankles within and now is the time for his own pound of flesh – keep them guessing and then ask for some good money.
He will sign da ting eventually.
He has Arsenal to thank for where he is at this stage in his career. If he’s holding grudges for a mistake that happened three years ago under a different regime then that would be proof of an immaturity that belongs elsewhere.
Give it a rest mate.
Save the hatred until he has signed for another club, IF he signs for another club.
Until then, get behind these players.
Break this side up and you won’t see their like again for years.
What hatred? I’m behind the players but if one decides it’s too much about them then they need moving on. I support Arsenal and I’m interested in what’s good for the team first. It’s about the team, not the individuals and if the choice has to be made I’m not sentimental about any of them.
Mate, all he is doing is asking to be paid his market value! He’s not being greedy – just assertive!! Why can’t fans like you understand that it’s purely a case of market forces? Saliba is a world class player plying his trade in the best league in the world – we HAVE to give him a world class salary. How long has it taken us to get a centre halve pairing like Saliba and Gabriel? Two decades. Two fucking decades. And you’re already chasing one of them out of the door for wanting to be paid his market value.… Read more »
If it’s purely market forces then we’re screwed as there are several teams who will offer more to players like Saliba, Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard etc. We have to offer these players something more than just the money and I feel that we’re doing a good job of that right now. But that way won’t please every player.
Careful. He’ll brand you a communist and a spud fan soon.
Well stop talking like them then. Easy.
I don’t. Maybe you could consider acting less like a lout around here? I know you won’t because your nature is acting like a classless Chelsea fan who thinks it’s all about “lowdsahmunnay”.
What if you could offer the player Arsenal, it’s values, it’s heritage, it’s vision, it’s manager AND what they’re asking for financially?
Saliba strikes me as a sensible lad, who loves the club and works his socks off for Arteta.
Offer him top drawer wages and he will sign.
Piss about with daft offers – as we are clearly doing at the moment – and he will, as much as he loves Arsenal, start to look elsewhere.
Stop defending this board for not doing their job properly!
The money is there!
It’s not about pleasing every player. It’s about looking after and rewarding those players that have looked after Arsenal so well this season. Q is right, if you don’t do that, then what is the point of ‘the process’ at all? And surely the things that matter most to players apart from the money, is the direction of the club and the current playing staff. If we allow Saliba to go, how on earth can we expect Saka or Martinelli or Odegaard to extend their deals if money isn’t the only factor involved? You can’t have your cake and eat… Read more »
How is it – ‘All About Them (Saliba)?’ The guy has turned down a contract and you don’t need to be an expert in these matters to suspect that Arsenal have offered him a contract that might be good for a Premiership player playing for Brentford, but not Arsenal. Saliba is one of the reasons we are now eight points clear of an number of oil bankrolled clubs in January. That is an incredible achievement. We are almost certainly going to be playing Champions’ League Football again next season. And it’s down, in no small part, that we have William… Read more »
I haven’t said he IS greedy, I have said IF that’s what he is then…and so forth. Read the whole fucking thing people say and get the context for a change.
Oh right, you’re the IFs and Boy Bastin is the BUTS.
Ifs and Buts.
I prefer to deal in facts.
We have a world class centre half who has rejected a new contract offer but talks are ongoing. Therefore we have a world class centre half who has rejected a new contract offer because his club haven’t offered to pay him what he knows to be his worth. His club are currently wasting both their time and his time. His club need to get a grip.
Fact.
Like I said, you’re just a classless lout.
That’s an opinion.
Again, I never confuse opinions with facts. (Fact: my wife and kids think I’m great; that’ll do me)
Your opinion of me is neither here nor there.
Fact remains we have a top player who has rejected a contract offer. One must conclude that the offer wasn’t good enough, befitting a top player.
That, given our long history in these matters, should be a cause for concern for any normal Arsenal fan.
Still, I’ve said enough. Let’s see what happens. I’ve got a rough idea already…..
Now there’s the pot calling the kettle black.
He said ‘break this side up and you won’t see their like again for years.’ I’d say that was taking a healthy interest in this team as a whole, wouldn’t you?
Most sensible comment here, fully agree.
The team is doing well everyone is “happy” and the atmosphere is great. I don’t think he wants everyone’s salary for himself. Let’s just hope this does not come between the excellent performance, the team is riding on.
There was no need for this news to be made public – I can only imagine it was leaked by Saliba’s agent. None of us know the figures yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Arsenal had cobbled together a package that was probably almost an insult given what the player has achieved, contributed and his current market value. This club have always been penny pinching but it amazes me how we never ever learn from past mistakes in contract renewal negotiations (Brady, Stapleton, Henry, Cesc, RVP) We cannot afford to let this side break up before… Read more »
What exactly has he achieved? What has he done to warrant 200 grand a week? What has Mudryk done to be worth 100m?
I’m fine with the club not being held over a barrel, as long as Arteta is too and he feels he can nevertheless achieve success.
What has he achieved?
We are eight points clear of City and on course for our first Premiership title in two decades!
Hello?! Anyone at home?
On course? Mate, the Titanic was on course for New York. I’m not celebrating any title just yet.
Saliba’s done brilliantly, no argument from me there. I want him to stay and be a cornerstone of our defence for the next decade. But realistically we are not the biggest fish in the pond and, while it’s speculation, if he’s rejected a new deal because he wants money we can’t afford (because we are run as a business regardless of how rich our owner is) then we will have to sell him in the summer.
So.
Eric.
You don’t think we’re on course to win the title, in spite of being eight points clear.
You don’t think this club is the biggest in the world. Call yourself a Gooner?
You think we can’t afford to pay William Saliba a top salary befitting his market value. Yet we have spent in the region of £400m in the past two years alone and recently tabled £80m for Mudryk.
I mean….honestly mate…why do you bother?
Still, congratulations. You might just have posted the biggest load of bollocks I have ever read on this site.
👏 😂
Touche!
Is it just me or do there seem to be a lot of leaks from the transfers department at Arsenal? All this going on in public isn’t helping at all, and while we all love a transfer update, and there’s always clickbait stories without foundation, it all seems to be getting a bit much? Time for Edu to “notify” his department?
Is this a joke?
The only new information in this article is “that the Gunners remain confident the 21-year-old will stay at Emirates Stadium.” It is only what you would expect them to say. Far from a “leak” it rather sounds like a flippin’ press release.
Vonnie’s point – and I make her spot on – is that even if this is a press release, the club shouldn’t be putting this information out into the mainstream media. It’s bad enough with agents announcing this and that and giving the impression to would-be tappers (Chelsea) that their client is unhappy. Arsenal Football Club used to conduct their business so secretively, that you wouldn’t know about a player signing any contract until the ink was dry on the paper. Now, it’s idle speculation every day because people can’t keep their traps shut. Hits and clicks might be alright… Read more »
It’s Saliba and his camp doing the talking. I’m sure Olley et al. would have then reached out to the club to get a statement off them, which is where you get that “Gunners remain confident” bit. And, sure, news websites (including Arseblog!) write another article off that statement for the clicks.
But it isn’t Arsenal leaking details and inside info to the press. It’s Saliba and his camp. So, the mistaken impression you and OP hold about “leaks” from the transfer department that “can’t keep their traps shut” isn’t borne out by any facts you can point to.
Probably not a big deal but paying Jesus and Zinchenko very high wages, while a big part of attracting them here, also can create a discontent among guys like Saliba and even Odegaard who makes half what Zinchenko makes. Think we’ll have to inflate our wages for the newer contracts but on the plus side we have a small squad without a lot of wasted high earners so no doubt we won’t suffer too much.
Maybe it’s just me but I have never been one for getting hung up on what other people have. It’s always been about what I have and whether it works for me or not. Most if the time the answer has been yes and that’s always been good enough. I’ve been through some lean periods but I’ve also been through times of cups running over. Looking back on the lean times I’ve never felt they were bad. On the contrary they were often the most free I’ve ever been. I’ve found that the ones who constantly worry about what others… Read more »
Personally I think it’s natural to question someone else for getting a multiple of a reward for the same job you’re doing, although as applies to football this is a more layered issue that goes far beyond Arsenal.
Beautiful way of thinking, I totally agree. Sports in it’s essence is still something unspoiled. So the players that get it will not think if they make 20,30 or 50% more somewhere else, they’ll go for experience. All of them are set for life. Greedy agents can steer a player in the wrong direction, but that’s another topic. Great example is mbappe, he’s stayed for the power and crazy money (when your president is calling you to stay for the good of the league, it’s hard to say no), but he doesn’t seem happy or as someone already said, fulfilled.… Read more »
How is this a ‘first’ offer????
It’s the first offer to renew his contract?
Come on guys. Would you accept the traders first price on a market stall? Every single person should haggle. I think it’s a British thing to be honest/naive and accept the first thing offered. We should all have the confidence to negotiate more.
I mean when abroad…I never haggle in London 😅
He’s not the only player running down a contract right now. However, I think players will realise that the success is linked to the manager and club. How many times have we ended up with our 2nd choice transfer target and still the team functions.
My guess is PSG or Real have him thinking. Let Anelka, Song and Hleb tell him how brown the grass is away from Arsenal
In the unlikely event of him not signing, they are both in serious financial trouble and couldn’t afford it.
Come on mate. Don’t go spoiling the downvoters myths with a few home truths.
That’s my job! 😂
Why is this site not updated regularly?
What the fork are you on about? There’s at least one blog post every day, plus varying amounts of “news” articles throughout the day. And it’s free!
It is, but we don’t just publish a load of nonsense just for the sake of it
Very rude response
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
IF he’s sold, he should be the first 100m defender
Now when I’ve read this whole thread you kind of wish for the “breaking news” that Saliba has signed a new contract on 9 years; with 75K payment – just for the love of the club, the respect for the teammates and the wagestructure and the solidarity with the world economics. The clause in the contract include that 10% of his payment will be donated to peace and love.
Right Qwaliteee? 😉
Meanwhile, in the real world, Palace have held Man United to a draw.
If the dirty fucking Spuds beat City tomorrow night and we beat Utd at the weekend, we will go 11 points clear of both City and Utd.
And cue the downvotes…..😂
Not gonna downvote that ofc!
But I’m seriously impressed by (and maybe envy) your engagement in this thread!
We aim to dominate for the next 8 years… We will keep him