William Saliba has reportedly expressed his desire to remain with Arsenal behind closed doors despite drawing attention from Spanish giants Real Madrid. The 23-year-old defender has become a cornerstone of Mikel Arteta's team following his return from an impressive loan stint at Marseille. This season, he has racked up 38 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners, contributing to their stellar defensive record in the Premier League.
Ahead of Arsenal's crucial Champions League round of 16 second leg against PSV, Saliba openly declared his loyalty to the club during a press conference. "I want to win big things with Arsenal," he proclaimed, emphasizing his ambition to achieve significant success at the Emirates Stadium. "If you leave this club without winning anything the fans will forget about you. I want to win big things here."
Saliba's private assurances to Arsenal about his future come amidst speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid, who are reportedly keen on bolstering their backline with the French international.
Renowned transfer expert Fabrizio Romano provided insights on Saliba's situation via his YouTube channel, praising the player's abilities and highlighting the importance of his recent statements. "William Saliba at Arsenal; a fantastic player, a fantastic defender," Romano remarked.
"What he wanted to clarify in his press conference before the game against PSV Eindhoven is really important for Arsenal to understand the situation.
"Saliba said first of all that we are not in talks over a new deal, we had many reports that negotiations started. Negotiations didn't start but there is still two-and-a-half years left on his contract at Arsenal. It's also important that Saliba said he wanted to continue here and that is the message he is sending in public but also in private.
"He's telling Arsenal not to panic because we had many reports about Real Madrid. Someone internally at Real Madrid see Saliba as the Bellingham of the defenders. So, they consider Saliba as a fantastic player and it's a fantastic opportunity. He is out of contract in 2027 but it's not something that is being negotiated now.
"Real Madrid are not negotiating with Saliba, Real Madrid have not approached Arsenal and Saliba has sent a very clear message.
"Also, for Mikel Arteta and the new director Andrea Berta, Saliba is considered as an absolutely crucial player for the project, they want to win things; Arteta, Saliba and Berta are all together in this project.
"William Saliba is needed and the Arsenal message is very clear, they want to keep Saliba and forget about an easy story for Saliba to Real Madrid in the summer."
This article first appeared on Football.London.