William Saliba has been linked with a move away from Arsenal with Real Madrid keen on signing the French defender.
A report from The Sun has claimed that William Saliba has now pledged his feature to Arsenal despite the transfer links. The development will come as a major boost for Arsenal. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will be disappointed with the situation, and it will be interesting to see if they decide to move on to other targets.
The £27 million Arsenal mainstay has been a key player for the club since joining them, and he has established himself as one of the best central defenders in the league. There is no doubt that he is one of the best young defenders in the world and he would have been the ideal long-term addition for Real Madrid.
They need to bring in a qualities central defender who can partner Eder Militao at the heart of the defence in the long term. Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are in their 30s, and they will need to be replaced soon. Saliba would have been the ideal acquisition for them.
Arsenal must hold on to Saliba
However, Arsenal are looking to build a formidable squad for the future and they will not want to lose their key players. Furthermore, Saliba seems to be enjoying his football at Arsenal and he is an indispensable asset for them. The player has no reason to force an exit from the club and therefore he is not angling for a move to the Spanish club.
Real Madrid are widely regarded as one of the biggest clubs in the world and the opportunity to join them can be hard to turn down for most players. Arsenal will be delighted that Saliba has not had his head turned by the interest from the Spanish champions. However, they must look to help the defender fulfil his ambitions in North London if they want to hold onto him for the long term. Arsenal have not been able to win a major trophy for several years and top players could be tempted to move on in search of trophies.