Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that the club are "working on" new deals for duo Bukayo Saka and William Saliba. The pair have impressed so far this season, though there have been concerns surrounding their long-term future at the Emirates as their contracts dwindle.
Saliba and Saka and fellow star Gabriel Martinelli have under two years remaining on their deals at Arsenal, with them set to expire in 2024. Should they see out that contract, they would then become free agents, and the Gunners would have to look at replacing them with no transfer income for either.
Discussing their contract negotiations in his pre-match press conference for Bodo/Glimt, the manager said: "We have to plan for the future. We are all working on it, obviously, Edu and all the board is on top of it, and we will try to do things in the right way, being fair and trying to plan the best possible way to reward the players that, in our opinion, have a big future for the club. When we have something to announce, we will do that."
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Both players have become first-team starters in their own right but through very different paths to the senior side. Saka was a product of the Arsenal academy but has muscled his way into the starting lineup for club and country, too, though it hasn't come without its setbacks.
At 21 years old, there's still plenty to come from him, as Arteta explained earlier this season: "He has to be a ruthless winner. That's it. Simple. That's his mentality, that's what he needs to do. He needs to win football matches on his own, and he needs to be living this profession: tomorrow, I'm going to kill the opponent. And that's what I want from him."
As for Saliba, he was signed at 19 from St. Etienne for £30million, seen as a very bright prospect for the future. He wasn't given a chance in the first team, though, spending three seasons on loan to various clubs in France.
The last campaign was his breakout one, though, starring for an Olympique Marseille side that finished second in Ligue 1 and qualified for the Champions League. Saliba won the league's Young Player of the Year - previously won by the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni - and even earned a place in the senior France national team squad.
Upon his return to Arsenal, he has started every game at the back, with Arteta very complimentary of his skillset: "What he is doing at 21 years old is rare. He remains really humble. He wants to learn, he wants to train every day, and he is really demanding of himself, and he is giving a lot to the team."
Given the importance of both, making sure they are signed up for a long-term project may be the most important piece of transfer business Arsenal do over the next few months.
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