Arsenal

Arsenal

Premier League • England

Arsenal confidence grows over two priorities after making formal offer, but Chelsea threaten third plan

Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal

Three Arsenal players are in line for new contracts, although Chelsea are among the clubs still showing an interest in one of them, according to a report.

The mood at Arsenal is high at present thanks to them sitting top of the Premier League table after eight games. Most recently, they won the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur by a scoreline of 3-1.

It seems like Arsenal is an exciting club to be at as things stand. With that in mind, the Daily Mail are reporting that it could be an opportune time for them to tick off some key contract renewals.

Their write-up has confirmed plans are in place for Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli to agree to extended stays at the Emirates Stadium.

As things stand, the trio are due to be out of contract in 2024. However, all appear to be key parts of their project for the long term. Therefore, they want to ensure they can keep them around for longer.

According to the Daily Mail, there has already been a formal offer of a new contract to Saka. That particular operation is said to be their “priority” and there is “confidence” they will reach the desired outcome.

They want his renewal to last for three or four more years, presumably on top of his existing commitment. As a reward, he would see his wages rise close to £200,000 per week.

Next on the agenda for Arsenal would be Saliba’s contract. The defender has been making an impact after his long-awaited integration into the first team following a series of loan spells back in France.

Finally, Arsenal want to make progress on tying Martinelli down. However, the Daily Mail provide an interesting footnote in that regard. The report warns that Chelsea are among the rivals casting “admiring glances” at the Brazilian.

Chelsea have been in the market for attacking reinforcements in recent months and that remains the case. They have plenty of financial power, so Arsenal ought to act to avoid such a scenario.

Important for Arsenal to keep talented trio

Losing one of their main prospects to a direct rival would be a blow. Therefore, Arsenal might have to hurry up their plans ahead of the next transfer window.

So far this season, Saka, Saliba and Martinelli have started all eight of Arsenal’s Premier League matches. The formula certainly seems to be working, so they will hope they can keep them as a core of their long-term project.

They might have to stretch their wage budget to do so, which has been a risky strategy in the past. However, a key difference is that these are all younger players than ones they have committed to too heavily before.

All aged 21, Saka, Saliba and Martinelli will continue to be marketable players in the future. Arsenal would rather keep them, though, so will have to be ready to reward them accordingly.

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