Arsenal have reportedly opened initial talks with defender William Saliba over a potential new contract at the north London club.
According to a report from the Evening Standard on Monday, the Gunners wants to tie down the defender to fresh terms, with less than two years left to run on his current contract.
Arsenal signed the Frenchman from Saint-Etienne in 2019 for a fee of £27m.
Having spent the past three years on loan away from the Emirates Stadium, the 21-year-old has now become a very important player for Mikel Arteta, as he is now one of only two outfielders to have played every minute of league action for Arsenal in the current campaign.
To highlight how impressive he has been for the Gunners this season, only Ben White (30) has racked up a higher combined total of tackles and interceptions (27) at the club. He also has the joint-highest average of clearances per game (3.1) alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.
Saliba has been a “Rolls-Royce”
Speaking after Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, Aaron Ramsdale said of Saliba: “He has fit in really well. It is a credit to him that he has been put straight into the team. He is a bit of a Rolls-Royce with the way he moves and he has never seemed fazed [sic].”
Taking all this into account, it’s easy to see why the club are looking to offer the centre-back a new deal, even though his current one isn’t set to expire until 2024.
If the £40k-per-week France international does end up putting pen to paper on a new contract at Arsenal, this would surely be a massive positive for Arteta and everyone else connected to the club based on how impressive the 21-year-old has been in the early weeks of this season.
