Arsenal have confirmed that William Saliba has signed a new long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium. The French defender has extended his stay with the Gunners until 2027.
The 22-year-old defender verbally agreed to sign a new contract - as football.london reported last month - that will see him earn around £10million-per-year. Saliba's new deal does not include an option to extend but there is also no release clause.
The France international’s previous contract was set to expire next year - after Arsenal had already activated an option to extend the deal by a further 12 months - which made it even more important to secure Saliba's future at the club. The Frenchman has followed Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale and Gabriel Magalhaes in signing a new long-term deal as Mikel Arteta looks to protect the future of his squad.
Martin Odegaard and Ben White are thought to be the next players in line for a new deal at the Emirates Stadium. Saliba has recently returned to training following a back injury which saw him miss the end of last season.
Gabriel Jesus stressed Saliba's importance to the team when he admitted that the 22-year-old's absence contributed to the Gunners missing out on the Premier League title last term. The Brazilian stated on the Denilson Show: "When he [Saliba] plays, we concede few goals, when he doesn't play, the number [of goals conceded] increases.
"When I got injured, Eddie [Nketiah] replaced me very well. Then we signed Leo [Trossard).
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"We kept the pace. But when Saliba got injured, it was complicated.
"The other defenders are good, but we were playing in a certain way. Look at the stats, we concede a lot less with him."
Arteta will be hoping Saliba can stay fit for the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign as Arsenal prepare to mount another Premier League title charge and challenge in the Champions League. Jurrien Timber is expected to complete a £40million move to the Emirates Stadium this week - further strengthening the Gunners' defensive options.
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