Having put pen to paper on a new deal with Arsenal, William Saliba has outlined the reasons why he decided to stay in North London.
With just one year left on his previous contract, there was interest from PSG and other big European clubs, and after some difficult moments since his arrival from St Etienne in 2019, there were some worries.
However, those have been put to bed with a new contract that will tie him to the club until 2027.
Speaking to the official website, Saliba said, “Honestly the decision was easy, because I had a really good season last season, but unfortunately I didn’t finish it because of injury.
“So I want more. I want to play more years for this amazing club. I didn’t achieve anything yet, so I want to win everything with this club.”
Missing the final two months of last season was something the 22 year old described as ‘difficult’, as we were overtaken by Man City who bought won their fifth title in six years, but the Frenchman is confident this team can win big trophies in the years ahead.
“I think we can achieve everything,” he said.
“Of course, it’s easy to say this, but we have the coach, we have the character, we have the players and every year the team gets stronger. We have better players with a good mentality.
“We have a good experience from the last season as well. We know that the season is so long. So we are confident and we know we can do something good at this club.”
He knows…
We are lucky to have you young man, I hope to see that wry smile of yours many times over the coming years as you give your post match interviews about dominating supposed stars
sure we can!
Wilo has all the tools necessary to succeed- ability, confidence, athleticism- and he’s bought into the vision the club has for the future. Not only has he made us a better side, Arteta has made him a better player.
signing the extension, on deserved/improved terms, is a huge statement for the club. Long may it continue.
Specimen!
Put forward your champion. $ity rolls out Haaland. We roll out Saliba and Haaland gulps…
Contract extention (improvent?) Aside here, what I said about Saliba and having all the tools also applies to rice. He’ll make our side better, but we’ll also make him better.
Very happy with this.
There was always a doubt in the back of my mind that he would be open to leave, especially as he spent so much time away from the club.
Fantastic defender and this is great news.
Agree. And he could have told us this months ago so we all didn’t spend so much time worrying about this.
He has a bit of that detached vibe about him, an aloofness. Which isn’t a put down at all, I just think certain players with extraordinary confidence have that feeling to them. So it’s reassuring to hear his words, it’s clear he cares more than he lets on. Or at least he’s not the type to look enthused in public.
An easy decision which still somehow took effing FOREVER hah
No matter, all’s well that ends well, happy flowers, William is on the boat. Onwards and upwards.
I think it was held up by the terms rather than the decision to sign. He was on a relative miserly £40k a week. Getting up to £200k from there must have taken some back and forth between both parties.
I am super glad he’s signed. Apart from signing top players, retaining her best is proof Arsenal is heading in the right direction.
Exactly what I was thinking too… maybe he was just stalling to fuck with us all a little… I can respect that! A little twisted humour never goes astray.
Who doesn’t want all the money?
It would have been much quicker, but the club’s email server automatically deleted anything about a Willy extension.
You owe me a cup of coffee.. I just spat out mine on a couple of random people on the train!!
Brilliant comment, sir!
“Bought” got me haha
With how we’re spending right now I’m getting the feeling people might start to say we live in a glass house and shouldn’t throw stones. That would completely ignore the fact that in our case that money comes (or will come) from the club’s actual income
115 charges for financial cheating. There’s nothing for anyone to compare between us and the oil cheats.
Sure. I feel a little like that sometimes looking at transfer fees. But transfers are only part of the story. They have managed to be ‘smart’ in the market but they have an astronomical wage bill.
When you think we were only a couple of years ago. Think of the Kolasinacs and Mustafis and Luiz era. The Senderos, Djourou, Cygan, Santos, Liechtensteiner era. Sylvestre. That Greek bloke whose name escapes me. The other Gabriel. Stepanovs!! And now, somehow, we’re stepping back into the light. It is warm. And cosy and happy.
That is all.
Good god we had to endure some custard defenders…
That’s an awful list.
Calling Kolasinac a defender is a stretch lolz
Who’s the other Gabriel?
Aside our 3 Gabriels in the shadows of Mount Doom another Gabriel was named, one Gabriel to ruin them all
But at what cost?
Hair shirt in the washing machine is it?
Or do you steadfastly refuse to pay for the satanic evil of electricity?
Paulista. He wasn’t that bad. Just had the occasional brain fart.
Eye-watering reading. The only bright spot in the eras you reference is the Mertesacker – Koscielny partnership, which was outstanding.
“Man City who
wonbought their fifth title in six years”Arseblog crossed our the wrong word.
Great! Hope you are feeling much better now
LESSS DO DISSS!!!
©️James McNicholas.
Just read that he almost joined Tottenham initially from Saint Etienne and only chose us because our interest in him went back a year earlier. Boy he must be happy with that decision!
Best young centre back in the world
I think a year or two from now, you won’t need the ‘young’ qualifier.
(Even though he’ll still be young.)
Previously about one out of every 6-7 comments I made got flagged for approval, which I understood Andrew’s explanation for and is totally fine. But now it seems like more than half of them do, any idea why? Am I alone in this?
Could be that the blog is getting hit with tons of spam at times, and they turn “approval” on. No idea, but I know if other forums where this happens.
a fit Saliba is a lynchpin to our success. First on the team sheet IMO.
*bought STET
To use an old proverb correctly: The proof of the pudding is in the eating. We get more points and concede fewer goals per game when Saliba plays.
Fuck I love willy
I think the fans played a significant part in his decision to stay. Who will not love a stadium full of people singing your name! Even when he committed mistakes the fans in the stadium were always behind him!
Gabriel, Saliba, White, Timber- We have 4 top center back options now!
It’ll be great to have our extended Willy back out there next season.