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Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit reckons the exit of defender William Saliba could lead to Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice following suit. All three have been key performers for the Gunners.
Among the trio, Rice - who arrived last summer from West Ham United - has taken to life at the Emirates like a fish to water, becoming one of the first starters in Mikel Arteta's XI.
Rice, 26, has registered eight goals and 10 assists in 50 games across competitions. Two of those strikes were free-kicks in a 3-0 upset of holders Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. The Gunners went on to win 5-1 on aggregate before losing 3-1 over two legs to Paris Saint-Germain in the semis.
Apart from his goal contributions, Rice has been an assured presence in the middle of the park for the Gunners. The same also goes for Saka up front and Saliba in the heart of defence.
Amid reports of Saliba moving to Real Madrid, Petit said that the exit of a key player would lead Saka and Rice to move away from the Emirates. The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner said on talkSPORT:
“I’ve been reading things about selling Saliba to Real Madrid. I’m thinking ‘What the hell? You want to bring in strikers, wingers, and then you sell your best defender? What’s the point? It’s a step back if you do that. The first step will be to keep your best players.
“If you start selling your best players, starting from Saliba, there’s no way that players like Saka and Rice… they will think: ‘What the hell? What are we doing?'”
The Gunners are second in the Premier League with two games remaining, 15 points behind champions Liverpool, who have already wrapped up the title.
What's next for Arsenal?
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta" srcset="https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/bf3fa-17471172642317-1920.jpg 1920w">
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta
Arsenal are in the midst of another decent season, but their Premier League title drought now extends to a 22nd year. They also suffered UEFA Champions League elimination in the semis and early exits in both domestic cups.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta's side are coming off a heartening 2-2 Premier League draw at champions Liverpool last weekend, recovering from two goals down at the break to force a share of the spoils and remain second in the standings.
They next take on Newcastle United at home on Sunday (May 18) before closing their league campaign and season at Southampton seven days later as they seek to return to the UEFA Champions League.
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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.
Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.
Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.
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