David Ornstein claims Arsenal are ‘delighted’ with one thing they did last summer

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Arsenal completed a lot of successful business last summer, with the likes of Declan Rice and David Raya joining, but this also extends beyond transfers.

Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar tied down several key players to long-term contracts, with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu now expected to follow suit.

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were among the players they gave new contracts to, and both players are thriving this season.

However, there was one extension which came as a relief after some uncertainty, as William Saliba committed his future to the club. The centre-back is already one of the best players in the world in his position, and given his age, would have attracted a lot of transfer interest if he did not extend.

Arsenal delighted with William Saliba contract extension

In a Q&A session with The Athletic, journalist David Ornstein was asked whether Arsenal should be worried about any potential interest in Saliba, but he confirmed that the new contract he signed in the summer means that the club are relaxed about him.

“He has only just signed a new long-term contract and I’ve not heard anything about him wanting to be anywhere else,” Ornstein confirmed.

“If he was ever to become available, I’m sure most/all of the world’s biggest clubs would try to sign him. There was strong interest in him from the Premier League and beyond before he put pen to paper on that deal.

“But he is Arsenal property for the foreseeable future and they will be delighted with that.”

What makes William Saliba so valuable to Arsenal?

The centre-back has formed a rock-solid partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes, which is arguably the best in Europe given how strong Arsenal have been defensively in recent weeks.

At 22, Saliba is a player with Champions League and International experience under his belt already, and his combination of size, speed and outstanding technique makes him one of the most complete defenders on the planet.

If he did not sign his contract, every top team in Europe would have been interested in him, and he is one of Arsenal’s most valuable assets.

Arteta will therefore be thankful that the club managed to tie him down for the future, and he will hope the Frenchman will stay for years to come to help challenge for more trophies.