da pinup bet： The Gunners are hoping to convince the defender to sign a new deal following his superb debut season in the Premier League

da imperador bet： Arsenal are expected to soon announce that both Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale have signed new long-term contracts with the club. That will follow on from the confirmation earlier in the season that Gabriel Martinelli had committed his future to the Gunners.

Gabriel Magalhaes did the same back in October, with Arsenal’s focus not just on improving the squad they currently have in the summer transfer window, but also rewarding those already at the club with fresh terms that their performances deserve.

The deal to keep Saka in north London will be a particularly significant one. The 21-year-old is the jewel in the crown at Arsenal and is a player that every single top club in Europe would love to have on their books. So to get him tied down to a long-term extension will be a huge boost to everyone at the club as the Gunners look to build on the big steps forward they have taken over the past 12 months.

One player who is yet to agree a new deal, however, despite talks having been ongoing throughout the season, is William Saliba. 

Getty Images'We want to keep our best talent'

The France international has proven himself to be one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs during his debut season in England, and Arsenal view him as integral to their plans over the coming years. But Saliba will have just 12 months left on his current deal this summer, and so far talks over fresh terms have yet to prove successful.

"We want to keep our best talent," Mikel Arteta said, when asked about Saliba’s contract situation earlier this month. "Especially the players that deserve some recognition. I think he has been incredible since he came back from his loan period and we want to reward him, that is for sure. We will find the right moment to do that.

"Obviously [technical director] Edu and the board are on top of every negotiation regarding new contracts and now we are doing everything we possibly can to do that in the right moment at the right time. The communication and the relationship is super. It is about timing, I think. Nothing else."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesClubs will start to circle

Arsenal are currently calm about Saliba’s situation and are hopeful that a new contract will be agreed once the current season has come to an end. But they are aware that clubs from across Europe will be keeping a close eye on what is happening with the centre-back, given he is about to enter the final year of his deal. And it’s almost certain that offers will start to arrive for the defender this summer, should an agreement not be reached in the coming weeks

Saliba has always maintained that he wants to stay at Arsenal. “I am so happy here,” he said in January, when asked about the progress of the negotiations. “The club is speaking with my agent and me, the only thing I can do is [focus on my football].”

A crucial presence 

Arteta will be hoping that a successful conclusion to the talks is just about timing – as he suggested earlier in the month – because what the last nine games have shown us is just how valuable Saliba is to this Arsenal team. 

And his representatives will certainly be pointing that out during the next round of talks that they will have with the club about an extension. If Saliba's camp were in a good position before, given his age and the relatively short time left on his current deal, then they are in an incredibly strong one now.

The numbers speak for themselves. With the Frenchman in the heart of the defence, Arsenal have a win percentage of 78 percent this season. Without him, that drops to 44%. On average, Arteta’s side conceded 0.9 goals per game with Saliba and 1.9 without him. When the 22-year-old starts, Arsenal have averaged 2.4 points per game. When he doesn’t, that drops to 1.7. They also allow far more shots on their goal (11.8 compared to 8.3).

Getty ImagesInfluential in defence and attack

And it’s not just at the back that Arsenal have seen a drop off in the absence of the central defender. They have less possession without Saliba (56% compared to 61%), their passing accuracy into the final third drops (73% from 77%) and average less shots per game (13.4 compared to 16.6).

Those numbers show how influential Saliba is in moving the team forward from the back. His quality on the ball and his ability to break the lines with his passing was a hugely important factor in Arsenal’s success this season. Without him, Arteta’s side were robbed of that, and performances and results dipped sharply.