After William Saliba, it’s so clear who Arsenal must agree a new contract with next

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Arsenal are set to be boosted by the news that William Saliba is closing in on a new contract at the club, committing his long-term future to the project.

The defender has impressed ever since he made his way into the senior team, following several loan spells away from the Emirates Stadium.

Now, William Saliba is a key part of Mikel Arteta’s setup at Arsenal, which has been reflected by the club’s desire to keep him on an extended deal.

The Frenchman has just under two years remaining on his contract, which has sparked fears over a possible exit in the future.

However, with Saliba set to sign a new contract at Arsenal, those tensions have been eased, and focus is now on the distant future.

With such a big commitment in the backline set to be confirmed, Andrea Berta must now work on some other deals.

The next one that should be tied down for the future at Arsenal is also painfully obvious.

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Bukayo Saka should be the next contract extension for Arsenal after William Saliba

With William Saliba set to sign a new contract at Arsenal, it marks a huge moment for sporting director Berta.

The Italian businessman had shown his ability to operate well in the transfer market, spending over £250 million on eight talented stars to bolster Mikel Arteta’s options.

However, it remained to be seen just how well he could do with the overall squad management.

The early signs are good, with Gabriel Magalhaes also signing a new contract at Arsenal, and now Saliba is set to do the same.

Next up on the list has to be Bukayo Saka.

The England international has been impressive ever since he made his way through the Arsenal academy setup and into the senior team.

Now, much like a few of his peers, there are under two years remaining on his contract at the club.

Given how involved Saka has been with everything that is good about Arsenal as a team in recent years, it makes sense to offer a new deal.

The star’s importance has perhaps been best felt during the periods when he isn’t in the team.

Sometimes, his best work goes unnoticed and is only flagged when he is out of the team through injury.

There will be plenty of hope that a new deal for Saka, along with some injury luck, could power Arsenal towards the future.

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Arsenal’s core is being built for the future

Arsenal have done well to build themselves up to a competitive point, but perhaps the tougher thing to do is to sustain it.

It only takes a few wrong moves for things to fall away, and even the most well-run clubs face problems in squad building – just look at Manchester City’s struggles over the past year.

Now that Arsenal are at the top, it’s all about consolidating that strength, and keeping that young core together is the key to that.

Saliba is an important part of that, alongside Gabriel, while Saka is surely the next one to help bolster the core.