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Berta has earned his money so far | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are now said to be working on two new deals after a busy summer of transfers.
Arsenal are now said to be looking to address some contract situations after a summer of big spending that saw them effectively go all-in for that elusive Premier League title. The Gunners have committed more than £250million in a bid to make up the gap to champions Liverpool, although the Merseyside club have themselves spent even more, with more than £230million spend on two players alone.
It’s a huge season for Mikel Arteta, who needs to deliver amid the club’s big backing, and it’s already looking like being a more competitive Premier League this season.
Arsenal have had a good start, but they lost to Liverpool before the break and suffered an early setback in the title race, albeit there is more than enough time for that game to be largely insignificant aside from being an early mental blow.
The Gunners brought in new sporting chief Andrea Berta during last season after Edu walked away from his post, and Berta has been a very busy man this summer, wrapping up plenty of headline deals, and he has also managed to agree some new contracts, including Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Magalhaes, but there is more work to be done.
Bukayo Saka and William Salba are both out of contract in 2027, and both will be expecting bumper new deals if they are to stay at the club, given they are both vital to Arteta’s plans. Arsenal are going to have to make sure they can offer such terms given they have not been shy in paying new players who have arrived.
But according to journalist Charles Watts, progress is being made on that front, which will be a relief for Arsenal fans.
“With the transfer window now closed the priority for Arsenal is to accelerate contract talks with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba,” wrote Watts for CaughtOffside. “Andrea Berta has done a good job when it comes to renewals since he arrived as sporting director, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly all penning new long term deals.
“But arguably the two most important renewals are yet to be agreed, with Saka and Saliba both now into the final two years of their current contracts. Talks have been ongoing for a while now with both players and Arsenal are confident that the discussions are going well and both will commit their futures to the north London club.
“I couldn’t say for sure when those deals will be agreed, because they are complicated and both Saka and Saliba were into the final year of their former deals before they last put pen to paper in 2023. The hope at Arsenal is that neither negotiation will drag on as long as that this time around and the noises around Saka are certainly very positive. Berta has had a lot on his plate since he arrived but he now does have a bit of time to really work on both renewals and Arsenal are confident that there will be progress soon.”
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