Amidst all of the transfer business conducted at Arsenal over the summer window, speculation surrounding William Saliba and Bukayo Saka led to hopes that new contracts would be swiftly finalised for the pair.
However, considering technical director Edu and head of football operations Richard Garlick oversaw a total of 17 transfers, in and out, it's perhaps no surprise that the club haven't been able to wrap things up just yet. Despite this, things could accelerate now the window has closed.
There's a real buzz surrounding the Gunners at the moment following five wins from five in the Premier League this season, though an underwhelming deadline day has left fans concerned due to injuries picked up by Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny. football.london understands efforts were made to sign Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, but three rejected bids ultimately meant Arsenal ran out of time and luck.
READ MORE: Arsenal already have 'next William Saliba' lined up as Mikel Arteta makes £6m transfer decision
Plans for the January window will no doubt already be in place or at least under consideration, but the positive energy surrounding the club can be maintained if the long-term futures of Saliba and Saka are secured in the meantime. Arsenal and Saka's camp are confident that new terms will be agreed upon, while there's optimism that Saliba will also put pen to paper on a new deal, football.london understands.
Mikel Arteta believes there's a mutual intention between the club and Saka to extend his contract, reiterating his desire to get it completed sooner rather than later. "I am very confident that we as a club and Bukayo, his family, his agent, everybody, we are very much aligned in what we want to achieve," said the Arsenal boss.
"And now it is about putting it on a piece of paper. I would like that to get done, because I don’t want the player or anybody distracted while we are in the middle of the season. But those things take time and they have to go through the right process, and I think the process has been really good."
Meanwhile, Arteta delivered more of a coy response when questioned on discussions with Saliba, perhaps hinting that talks aren't as far down the line as they are with Saka.
"The players really like him because he's so willing to be talked through anything, be coached and his aim is to get better," Arteta explained. "The first impression was really positive. As you said, his body language, his presence and the confidence that he was acting with, he was very mature.
"We will address all these issues. Edu and the board will be addressing all the issues that you can possibly face. We want players who will be happy here."
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