Arsenal
Premier League • England
PSG swoop for Arsenal superstar ripped up by Fabrizio Romano in massive Arteta boost
Arsenal will not have to deal with a Paris Saint-Germain bid for William Saliba any time soon, according to Fabrizio Romano, though Real Madrid have also been linked with the top-class defender.
In his latest CaughtOffside column, Romano responded to questions about PSG’s long-term interest in Saliba. The Ligue 1 giants are continuing to snap up the best French talent around and the Arsenal centre-back will have undoubtedly cropped up on their radar amid his dominant performances over the last few years.
Romano shut down talk of a huge potential move to the French capital by saying: “Although William Saliba will always be appreciated because of his immense talent, there’s nothing in a rumour that Paris Saint-Germain could make a big offer for his services at this stage.
“There has been no approach from PSG, no proposal, no talks.
“Saliba is a crucial player for Arsenal so I don’t think there could be anything for Saliba to even consider soon.
“He’s very happy at Arsenal and there’s nothing ongoing with any club – no idea where these PSG stories are coming from.”
Different Euro giant on William Saliba trail
While stories claiming PSG are actively chasing Saliba appear to be wide of the mark, Arsenal could still have to deal with another European titan in the near future.
On September 25, Football Transfers claimed that Real Madrid hold concrete interest in the France star. It was even suggested that Los Blancos might draw up a huge player-plus-cash bid which would see Rodrygo head to the Emirates.
It would make sense if both PSG and Madrid scouts have been impressed by Saliba, given how he has quickly developed into one of the best centre-backs in the world. However, as Romano points out, Arsenal will not want to let him leave under any circumstances.
Arsenal have ambitions of winning the Premier League and Champions League, and keeping Saliba will be pivotal to those aims.
The 23-year-old has formed a brilliant defensive partnership with Gabriel, and breaking up that duo would seriously weaken Arsenal’s backline.
Another factor to consider is Saliba’s Arsenal contract. In July last year the Gunners managed to tie him down to a new four-year deal which runs until June 2027.
Saliba is likely to be very happy with his situation at Arsenal, as he is shining in almost every game and has seen his wages increased to a reported £192,000 a week. As such, it is hard to see the player actively pushing for a move to Madrid next year.
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Coincidentally, it emerged earlier this week that Arteta was approached by PSG at the end of the 2022-23 season as they looked to replace Christophe Galtier.
Arteta has history with the French titans, having made 53 appearances for the club in his playing days, but he snubbed their advances this time around as he wants to see out his Arsenal project.
One of the main reasons behind Arteta’s decision is that he hopes to become the first manager to win the Champions League with Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are reportedly tussling with Liverpool, Newcastle and several major Italian clubs for Lille’s Jonathan David.
Arsenal remain in the mix for a new striker after not signing one during the summer and David represents a bargain option. The Canada star’s contract expires next summer, which means Lille will have to sell him for a reduced price.
Football Insider state that Arsenal are eager to add David to their forward line, though Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan all hope to take him to Serie A.
The 24-year-old would be a great signing for any of those clubs as he is in fantastic form and added to his tally by scoring the winner for Lille against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Arsenal record with and without Saliba
Saliba was signed by Unai Emery in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth a reported £27million.
He finally became a first-team regular at Arsenal at the start of the 2022/23 season and has since started 71 Premier League games.
The Gunners won 53 of those games, drew 10 and lost just eight. That record gives the centre-back a 74.6 per cent win rate and a 11.12 per cent loss rate in the Premier League.
He has also kept 32 clean sheets in those games and conceded just 59 goals, averaging just 0.83 goals conceded per league game.
But Saliba missed Arteta’s first 96 Premier League games as he had loan spells at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille. He also missed 11 league games through injury in 2022/23.
Arsenal won 54 of those 107 league games but drew 19 and lost 34. When Saliba doesn’t play in the Premier League, Arteta has a win rate of 50.4 per cent and a loss rate of 31.7 per cent.
Arteta’s side have also managed just 34 Premier League clean sheets without Saliba and they conceded 126 goals in those games, averaging 1.1 goals conceded per league game.