Arsenal chiefs and sporting director Andrea Berta now want to tie down another player after William Saliba and Bukayo Saka, with the Gunners convinced he’s actually one of the world’s best.
Arsenal in talks with Bukayo Saka after confirming William Saliba deal
Earlier this week, Mikel Arteta expressed his joy after star defender Saliba committed his future to the club.
“William is loved by all the players and staff, and that speaks volumes about his character, commitment and attitude every day,” Arteta said.
“Since joining us, William has grown so much, embraced responsibility, and has created a strong connection with our supporters and everyone at the club.
“We know there is still so much to come from him and will continue to work together to keep improving with the clear ambition of winning major trophies.”
The Frenchman, who’s been pivotal to Arsenal’s trophy charges since forming an unbreakable partnership with Gabriel in 2022/2023, signed an extension which will keep him in North London until 2030.
Saliba’s defensive prowess was well noted by Real Madrid, who reportedly reached out to his camp over the summer, but the 24-year-old was apparently clear that he wanted to stay at the Emirates Stadium (HandOfArsenal).
Saliba and Gabriel, who also signed a new deal earlier this year, made a summer pact to stay at Arsenal and win major silverware together (HandOfArsenal), with the pair now set to marshal Arteta’s backline for years to come.
After the centre-back, it is reliably reported that Arsenal are confident they’ll agree a new deal with Saka shortly (Fabrizio Romano).
The winger is absolutely crucial to the way Arteta wants to play, with Arsenal dearly missing him midway through last season when Saka was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Arsenal have attempted to manage the 24-year-old’s minutes this season too, taking his hamstring issues into account, but Arteta has little choice but to play Saka far more regularly than he’d hoped with Noni Madueke out injured until late November.
Appearances
269
Goals
72
Assists
71
Bookings
31
Red cards
0
Minutes played
20,358
In any case, it is believed that Berta could agree an extension with Saka’s camp by Christmas, and his potential fresh terms could see the England international earn north of £250,000-per-week (Football Transfers).
Now, following an interesting turn of events, Berta is also planning to award defender Jurrien Timber with a brand-new deal too.
Arsenal plan new deal for Jurrien Timber amid behind-scenes praise
According to TBR Football and journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are ready to offer Timber an extension following the Dutchman’s excellent performances — and they believe he’s actually among the world’s best in his position.
Talks with the former Ajax sensation are apparently scheduled for before the end of 2025, with Timber relegating Ben White to the bench and making the right-back spot his own after an injury-ridden debut season in 2023/2024.
“Jurrien Timber has been brilliant for Arsenal, despite having missed his first season with the club – he impressed hugely with the way he bounced back and has become a huge part of their defence,” Bailey said.
“Arsenal really see him as one of the best in the world in his role.”
The 24-year-old, who can also play at left-back and in the centre of defence, has been invaluable to Arteta since the start of 2024/2025 — making 48 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners last season.
Timber’s done superbly since working his way back from that ACL tear, missing just a handful of games since his recovery, and the full-back’s consistency has been remarkable.
Arteta has called Timber one of the leaders of Arsenal’s group too, piling praise on the Netherlands international after his comeback this time last year.
“A leader. A guy that is constantly thinking how can I help others and bringing great quality to everything that he does,” said Arteta about Timber.
“Even in the little time that he’s been with us and the amount of time he’s spent on the pitch, for everyone to speak so highly of him in the way that they do, that tells you everything about the personality that we have in the team.
“He comes from Ajax, it was a big move, different country. He comes here with expectations, starts really well and then gets injured in the first game. Then what? You have to look ahead, eight, nine, 10, 12 months, and you can feel very lonely and isolated from the team. That can be very disappointing and very difficult to handle personally and emotionally.
“He did the exact opposite. He started to build unbelievable relationships with the physios and his teammates, he started to gather all the information he could about how we were playing and that really helped to understand him as a person and how we were playing in a much better way and to be prepared when he was back.”