Arsenal have been told to offer fresh terms to Gabriel Martinelli and Wiliam Saliba once they have agreed on a new deal for England international Bukayo Saka.
Both Mikel Arteta and Saka are keen to extend the player’s contract this season following the closure of the summer transfer window, with a deal to tie him down at the Emirates expected to be completed in the near future. Saka has emerged as an integral player for the Gunners since breaking into the first team as a 17-year-old, and Arteta believes he will be crucial to the club's hopes of success in the coming years.
Now former Gunners defender Mikael Silvestre has encouraged Arsenal to also secure the long term futures of two more young stars, in the shape of Brazil international Martinelli and French star Saliba - back at the club this term after a hugely impressive loan stint at Marseille last term.
When asked how important it is to get these new deals over the line, Silvestre told bettingexpert : “[It’s] extremely important. Arsenal has been losing players on free transfers too many times before. Now the team is performing and you can see the progression.
“It’s a young group of players so they need to tie them up for much longer because if you go on the market and try to buy these players now it’s going to cost you a lot of money. It’s hard to manage the wage bill and the balance to keep your best players but you need to set a bar where everybody feels comfortable.
“The club has to be the final decision maker about those deals. They need to do that as soon as possible and if it can be before the World Cup, that would be the best scenario because you never know what could happen.”
Are there any other players that Arsenal should be offering new contracts to? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Both Martinelli and Saliba’s contracts run out in the summer of 2024 and they have both emerged as two of the club’s most prized assets - despite contrasting starts starts to life at the Emirates Stadium since both joined in 2019.
Martinelli was thrown straight into first team action and racked up 10 goals in 26 games during his first campaign in the 2019-20 season. He is now closing in on 100 appearances for the Gunners at the age of 21, having become a regular under Arteta..
Saliba has had to take a more circuitous route into the Arsenal first team since arriving three years ago, having spent the last three seasons out on loan in Ligue 1 with Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
The Frenchman collected the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award and earned a place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year in 2021-22, and has forced his way into the heart of defence this term, starting all six Premier League games alongside Gabriel. Having also broken into the senior France squad, he is expcted to feature for Les Bleus at the World Cup.
