Naturally, with the anxiousness growing around the future of William Saliba, the finger-pointing has already begun. I often question why the immediate response from so many within the Arsenal fandom is to immediately assume someone must be to blame but I suppose it is ingrained in the fabric of the modern social media world we live in.
This time, reports have suggested Arsenal are somewhat surprised at the wage demands of Saliba as the Frenchman continues talks with the club over his future. The defender has had a stellar season and his performances were imperative to the Gunners’ title chase, so much so that when he was absent through injury, Mikel Arteta’s side looked significantly less like the version that had climbed to the league’s summit.
Signed in 2019, Saliba has just one year left on his deal, with the club activating the one-year option earlier in the season. Despite breakthroughs with Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Magalhães and Bukayo Saka that have seen them all extend their own contracts, there is yet to be a similar situation with the Frenchman.
