The message from many Arsenal supporters to William Saliba with regard to signing a new contract is very clear.
Interestingly, the central defender is into the final few months of his deal at the Emirates Stadium, but the Gunners can afford to be relaxed about the situation as football.london understands they can trigger the option to extend his contract by a further 12 months - taking it to the summer of 2024 instead.
As Saliba has been nothing short of sensational since returning from a loan spell with Marseille and quickly establishing himself as one of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal undroppables, it would be a major surprise if the club do not exercise their right to ensure the Frenchman avoids leaving for free next summer.
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What will encourage fans is that the north London outfit's long-term plans certainly include Saliba. So much so that the discussions over a new deal that, as confirmed by the player himself, got underway last month have since developed into a formal offer, as per The Athletic.
Furthermore, the report states that although there has been no agreement so far, the dialogue will continue between the two parties as the Gunners aim to tie down a player who has quickly established himself at the heart of the defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes who has recently committed his future to the club.
Unsurprisingly, calls for Saliba to sign a new contract grew even louder following his man-of-the-match performance as Arsenal beat Chelsea on Sunday afternoon to reclaim top spot in the Premier League table after temporarily dropping to second as a result of Manchester City's win over Fulham.
Following the 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, the France international took to Instagram and posted a simple two-word message that read: "London? Red". This triggered a massive response on the social media platform as there were a few suggestions from supporters on what his next move at Arsenal should be.
_anasm_ said: "Sign the contract we love you", anshhhhhhh said: "Lifetime contract needed", edokumwembe said: "The best defender in the World right now. Yes no doubt. But please SIGN new contract" and thevictorwikstrom said: "That’s what we like to hear! Now sign da tiiiinggg!"
_buruleanu said: "Sign the contract and they'll make you a statue", j1_3six5 said: "sign da ting", yasminisjoya said: "Announce new contract", blaize419gunner said: "Sign da ting now brother!!! Love you my G!!" and anishyadav07 said: "Never leave us Wilo."
Should these Arsenal fans get their wish and Saliba does indeed sign a new contract then the defender can perhaps look forward to wearing No.2 on the back of his shirt next season as that squad number became vacant following Hector Bellerin's move to Barcelona in the summer.
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