Arsenal defender William Saliba has looked to calm the nerves of fans by discussing his future at the club, amid contract concerns.
The Frenchman has been a key player ever since he made his way into the team under Mikel Arteta, despite some tension over his development.
Arsenal paid £27million to sign a young William Saliba from Saint-Etienne, bringing him in as a defender for the future.
Several loan spells saw him develop to the point of needing game time at the Emirates Stadium or moving elsewhere.
The manager put his faith in the centre-back, which has since paid off with some excellent consistent performances in the backline.
Those displays haven’t gone unnoticed though as Real Madrid have been linked with a transfer for William Saliba as they look to upgrade their backline.
That fear of an exit is only heightened by Saliba’s dwindling contract at Arsenal – which has just over two years remaining on it.
William Saliba breaks silence on Arsenal contract situation
With just over two years left on his contract, there has been fear over the future of William Saliba at Arsenal.
Arsenal Insider understands that Arsenal want to tie William Saliba down to a new contract, with acknowledgement that he is one of the best defenders in the world.
Despite that, fan fear still remains about whether the Frenchman will commit to the club and the project ahead.
He did look to ease those worries though as he told the press before Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven: “I’m really happy here, I have two years as well. So there is nothing, I am happy here, I want to continue here.”
When pushed on the fact that trophies have been hard to come by at Arsenal so far, he added: “Of course, I want to win big things with Arsenal because if you leave this club and you didn’t win anything then the people and the fans they forget about you.”
Those claims certainly suggest that Saliba isn’t thinking about making a move any time soon, even if reports of interest elsewhere are true.
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William Saliba is an Arsenal fan through and through
If there’s one thing that Arsenal do have as an advantage when it comes to William Saliba’s future, it’s his affection for the club.
The 23-year-old revealed that love for the club when he said in the press conference: “Of course, I was a big fan when I was young and when I celebrate a goal it’s because you know a football game is so hard to win so when my teammates score I am so happy.
“So there is that passion especially because I am a big fan of this club and playing there and scoring there is like a dream for me so I enjoy everything, every game.”
That dream, many are hoping, will end with plenty of trophies to show for his time spent at Arsenal in the years ahead.
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