William Saliba summer sagas are a thing. Will he go on loan? Does he deserve to go on loan? Will he come back and be happy? Now we’re down to ‘will he sign?’ One of the newspapers is running a story that points to problems with the William Saliba contract negotiation.
‘Shocked at demands’
‘Arsenal prepared to treble wages to £120k a week’
‘PSG circling’
What did we expect?
Now, I don’t believe Arsenal are offering William Saliba £120k a week. We gave Eddie £110k to be back-up striker last season. Take into account inflation, Arsenal now joining the Champions League elite, and the reality that Saliba is now a French international that starts every game for Arsenal – then tell me with a straight face Arsenal have £120k a week on the table.
Arsenal knows they will have to pay him £180k a week or above because that’s the going rate for a player of his caliber.
If we were to replace him, who would we sign? £100m Gvardiol? Probably cheaper to do the deal with Saliba.
This situation hasn’t been helped by Arteta treating the player poorly when he sent him out on loan two seasons ago. The player didn’t want to go but Arteta wouldn’t offer him minutes over – Pablo Mari. That moment was an ego hit to the player, it led to uncertainty, we know it wasn’t pleasant because he wouldn’t stop talking about it in the media. The 3500 minutes gave him the confidence he was a top player – but to our detriment – it also gave him the skills needed to adapt to any situation. There’s no great unknown for him – leaving Arsenal isn’t a big deal, because he’s done it before. I have no doubt that the cold treatment factors into the number Saliba wants now.
Good for him. Why would his team let Arsenal off the hook?
In business, it’s not rare for trailblazing juniors to hear ‘you’ll have to leave if you want that money.’ Businesses around the world tend to HATE paying young people what they are worth as they develop. To a Director, the progress a junior has made is always clouded by the memory of having to teach said person how to send an e-mail and how NOT to throw up in their shoes at a Christmas party. It’s dumb business and the cost of change is always way more painful than the cost of retaining elite talent. It’s always about ego.
I don’t think Arsenal has an ego issue – but I think they might have sticker shock about the ask – because they know they are going to have to pay him the number he wants.
I don’t have any doubt Saliba will sign onto a 5-year deal. Going to PSG is lucrative, but is it satisfying to work in a toxic nightmare at his age? Arsenal has a team built for his talent and we have a fanbase that adores him. He’ll do at least another 3 years with us because it’ll be good for his game and I think it’ll be good for his brand.
Bigger picture here is that contracts are complicated. You are renegotiating every two years because normal players don’t sign for longer than 4. If a player says no at year two, clubs almost never sell, hoping to persuade the player to stay – then it’s with the gods. Saliba could leave for Madrid, PSG, or City next year and get a £40m sign on fee and we’d have no argument. The hope is that the culture that convinced Gabi and Saka will be a huge draw for Saliba. Being trusted in a team on the rise is special – I think his people will know that.
Richard Garlick and Edu deserve an immense amount of praise for making sure our contract negotiations are almost never drama – and that we always tie down our best players. This is their biggest challenge yet. Let’s see what happens. x
___________________________
Mad Hugh.Because we’re now shopping in Harrods instead of pound stretchers.
That Mourinho article is nothing new he’s always been a cunt and a sore loser and now that he’s losing on the regular he just looks pathetic.
Sporting wise
Chelsea whatever they plan to attempt in the market are going to have to let approx 10 players go.
FFP, no European football only 40 to max 50 games next season and Pochettino likes working with smaller squads.
From early to mid June you would expect a lot of business all over the market to be done.
RDZ I think smoothed it over with Caicedo, allowing him to leave this summer and I would think his new contract reflects that around the 75m mark.
Mac Allister always was 100% leaving and again it’s not just a verbal agreement he probably has a release clause. Liverpool look favourites but I’ve a feeling MC will also be in for him if Gundogen does leave. He looks such an obviously good fit at 8 for any good side.
Moises wants Champions League football. Brighton are happy to accept the release clause amount. Over to you Moises.
Benzema leaving Madrid and getting paid a €100m per season. Now that is some retirement money. Can’t knock anyone taking at 35. Our plan revolves around Rice. And as soon as that final is over on Wednesday, we are bidding for him. I don’t think we will try and sign Caicedo at this point. It is one or the other. The links to Mount and Gundogan point to us preferring a more attacking option. That will most likely lead us to Maddison. Not a bad window if you can come put of it with Maddison and Rice. But I worry… Read more »
“What are you left with? The spectacle of an angry, beaten manager shouting at a minibus in a car park.”
Apparently Mourinho has been wearing a wire while at Roma to prove refs were distorting his words and punishing him unfairly whenever he complained about decisions.
I dont think any secret recordings will be needed this time around when UEFA makes him put a couple coins in the swear jar lol.
Pathetic doesn’t really describe it hanging around the car park to accost refs while frantically checking his phone as if expecting important calls.
Mavropanos may be leaving Stuttgart – especially if they are relegated…..apparently there is a 10% sell on clause for AFC – we might get a million or 2 extra to spend!!
GOH or should I say Daventry Ex Gunner – So Chelsea totally bloated no security of position or Spurs no manager and a chairman and board in toxic relationship with some of the most toxic supporters on the planet or UTD no title in 12 years almost as bad as us with an even greater shadow of leadership over them. Again could be doing a job excellently but the club decide to buy an aging and fading superstar in your place. Or Liverpool with Klopp channeling his late stage Wenger instincts. By your metric City would be less attractive than… Read more »
Rice + Maddison isn’t gonna make us the best team in the world. Hab, you say it’s one or the other but I read many OTK say in January we’re in for both, even if I doubted it at the time. My question is if we had managed to bring Caicedo here, do you think we wouldn’t have chased Rice at all in the summer? I don’t think so. We badly need quality in midfield. We’re losing Xhaka and who knows what’s going to happen with Partey. We badly need top quality. Maddison just got relegated and as the star… Read more »
Maddison is very good on the ball, set pieces also as well as a decent finisher and assists.
Coming into prime years anyone getting him around the 40-45m mark will have done decent business.
Only down side another that seems to be out with injury and miss a fair few games every season.
Mourinho is such a sore loser. He is finished as a coach. His football was always atrocious but he used to win in the past. Now, it is boring football + defeats.
He approached the minibus Anthony Taylor was in and swore in something like 3 different languages (lol)!
Always been a fan of Maddison. I too worry about his injury history for a youngish player. My biggest concern wouldn’t be replacing the Xhaka goals with him, just that the dirty midfield work and defending in our box and set pieces of Xhaka will be missed. I’m so curious to see what Arteta has in mind knowing that Xhaka is leaving. To take deeper, less attacking players like Caicedo, Rice, and bring more out of them in goals and assists, as he did with Xhaka? Or possibly the opposite with Maddison? He doesn’t seem robust enough to me. Gundogan… Read more »
(Not that we’re not doing it at home every week during and after Arsenal games)
We all know how and why Mourinho has been so successful.
He sets up teams to not lose games.
Always has, always will.
He has never been a risk taker, even when he had great players at his disposal.
The better footballing team won last night.
The team that wanted to play and win, won the game.
If you genuinely love the game we should all be rejoicing.
Managers who want their players to be confident and express themselves have my utmost respect.
That’s why Wenger chapter 1 was so good.
Even chapter 2 had its moments.
Well said, Graham.
90min has learned from sources close to William Saliba’s representatives that they are NOT trying to force a move away from Arsenal. Rather, they are asking for a contract fitting of a player considered by many as one of the best young defenders in the world.
Very reasonable
Rap I don’t think that will be enough. I would rather have both Rice and Caicedo and the leave out Maddison. I want our CM options to be solid and to protect the defense much more. I would play Rice in that Xhaka role. Even Caicedo can do that Roaming CM role if he was put to the task. That way we will have energetic technical midfielders and we won’t concede any goals But what makes me think that we won’t sign both is the rumours that we have wanted Mount and Gundogan from credible journalists. Besides that, if both… Read more »
Marko
I hope Arsenal understand that, and are not trying to impose an unacceptable deal on Saliba.
Dissenter
Great call out on the Pedro – Saliba 180. Almost slipped it in without notice like a KDB pass
Benzema won 24 trophies during his 14-year spell at Real. I call it a winner.
Arteta is like Pep in the sense that if he can sign a player, look at him after a training game or 7 matches and decide that he doesn’t want you again. Well, pep can do it cos they have unlimited resources. Somebody better tell It’s not obtainable at Arsenal. We don’t have 60 – 100m lying around for every replacement transfers. That’s why he has to learn to create relationships. If he had a bit of relationship with Saliba, agents won’t be leaking stuff like this. Guess what we have to pay a fee of 80m at least to… Read more »
🚨 BREAKING— Karim Benzema:
“Stay or leave Real Madrid? At the moment, I’m here… we have a game on Saturday”.
“Speak to Madrid fans? Speak about what? Why speaking of the future if I’m in Madrid…”. “Who’s speaking is internet, and reality it NOT internet”.
____________________________
If he’s leaving this is a shitty interview. Instead of being open and thankful, bro thinks he’s the Riddler.
Declan Rice prefers a Premier League move over signing for Bayern Munich. Arsenal lead the chase and are preparing an opening offer of £90m. Reports, @SamiMokbel81_DM.
______________________
Caicedo for 55 to 70m or Rice for 100-110m? If the numbers are in that range then Caicedo all the way.
There is a place for Mourinho. We need a villain a master of the dark arts. As he enters from stage left. A loud chuckle his hands form a grip like he’s throttling an innocent. We will miss him when he’s gone. The peak was 2009-10 with the destruction of the beautiful Barca. A 63% win rate in Serie A as well with a good level of goals. Brutal efficiency an Italian Revie and someone as expert in the arts. For his next role North Korea needs glory in its sporting endeavours. Give Mourinho a remote island a heliport and… Read more »
SamiMokbel81_DM: Arteta has identified Declan Rice as the ideal replacement for Granit Xhaka.
______________________
I’ve mentioned this might be the case and if it is, just get them both.
There’s an interesting comment about the Saliba negotiations. His team want something on par with Wesley Fofana at Chelsea, who is on 200k a week. If true, there’s Chelsea screwing up the market for us again. At the same time, because of Saliba’s contract running down, we have to protect our investment in him. From Saliba’s side, they can’t push things too far. He’s just missed a significant stretch of time with a back injury and on his current salary, can you imagine the consequences for him if that back injury turned into something even more serious? Better to lock… Read more »
Rap If both cost £180 mil, I would still do it. After that we will make do with what we have. Rumours are we have £200 mil to spend. 20 mil plus Sales which can include £35 mil minimum Tierney and £30 mil Balogun will be easy. We would have to sign a CB/RB and a LB for £85 mil and that’s enough. Even if we have less than that, like £150 mil, we should do it. Sell Balogun for like £30 mil. And get both. Then keep Holding as 5th choice CB, Play Tomiyasu as Saliba’s rotation option. Use… Read more »
Get a few more years out of Saliba yet. Don’t just assume he’ll be gone sooner rather than later. And btw if we’re smart and play it right when he does go it should be for a record fee for a CB. Easily
Rap
Patino isn’t gone and even if he was, so what?? Put him in Germany for a year and he’s £40-£50m worth of midfielder
Darwin one of the top strikers on the planet? Hardly. Even in a dwindling pool of 30 something strikers he can’t get himself into the conversation
Unless you’re talking about him of course. Which isn’t really the conversation
Yea, Saliba deserves to be at par with Fofana and Lisandro Martinez
Published: 14:23, 14 May 2023
According to The Sun, Martinez currently earns £120,000 a week at Old Trafford with a new deal said to increase his salary to around £170,000. Now a World Cup winner after lifting the crown with Argentina last year, the 25-year-old is regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
£170k sounds nice.
Don’t look at Fofana’s 200k deal at all. Chavs are a basket case.
https://arseblog.com/2023/06/smith-rowe-stays-and-thats-good-news/
Smith Rowe stays bitches 🎉 🎈 🍺
MarkyMark
I think you may be the one on ” modern supplements” as you call them 🙂
FB – the secret is out
Raptora don’t know about Balenciaga and their peado campaign.
I know that Fofana deal was screwing the market. In fees and salary.
Now United will pay 65m at least for Mount with a year left.
Was Jesus down to a year left when we paid 45m ? That to me was a little high, but there was extra value along with his on the pitch qualities. He and Zinchenko added champions credibility to the project along with leadership.
I think we all agree that Saliba is type of player we need if we’re to compete for highest of 🏆
Therefore around £10m a season is reasonable salary, providing his injury is not serious
Bacary good to see you back. Excellent comment and the perspective of a player who should look to lock in a deal is something I’ve mentioned too. Those back injuries can ruin careers. — also it’s easy for some of us to say “just pay him whatever”… we’re not the ones committing to 50mil guaranteed to a guy who just missed a quarter of a season, with the most unpredictable condition you can have in sports. Overall he’s pretty happy at Arsenal, and the deal should get done. The losers who are panicking with each clickbait post and tweet are… Read more »
West Ham blogs doing their utmost to try & drive up the Rice fee with their Billy Big bollocks mouthing,such as board supposedly pissed off with supposed derisory £85 million offer.Doing their utmost to create some phoney bidding war.lol
If he genuinely wants to join us.They’re f** kd & they know it.The only problem at the moment is this drags out till final played next week.
“The only problem at the moment is this drags out till final played next week.”
The only problem is this drags till the final week of the transfer window.
Raps.That ain’t happening.Done & dusted by end of this month at the latest.
We’re being linked with Wahl for 30-35m. Not going to get much more for Balogun – possibly less. Both ripping it up for just a year in France Ligue 1 – so what’s the difference? If that all happens then why?
From Reddit…
Only 2 clubs on earth that would pay that much for Mount, and 1 of those clubs is the one selling him.
I wonder what we’re going to do this summer forward wise. Outs and ins. Are we going to target a wideman or a striker or what? ESR seems to be staying I wonder what happens with Nketiah, Balogun and Vieira cause if most of them are staying then I don’t think we’ll be bringing in anyone up top
Breaking – Benz is staying one more year in Madrid. What a saga…
Like a couple of comments above I’d try and get both Rice and Caicedo that may take combined 160-170m but it would be our CM in good shape for the next 5 years. We will have to move players on to make room for other signings but KT (rather keep him) Balogun, Patino, Tavares, Mari (sold 6m) combined should be 70m maybe up to 80m. Few others last year contracts again we may well pay off Pepe but loan then a free likely, Cedric paid off at best loaned. Got to stop buying squad fillers on big money we can’t… Read more »
Xhaka looking likely gone as well 15m euro, Holding should also be moved on, Lokonga good chance of Burnley in for him loan with a fee to us, but hopefully permanent.
I also agree positive pete,
I actually think the Rice situation will be sorted wherever he goes by the end June start July latest.
Wow. I mean, the article itself is a bit ott, but this doesn’t look good on Ashburton Army lot. Someone told me a couple of weeks ago that the club is distancing itself from them.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/jun/01/football-must-finally-take-a-stand-against-antisemitism
I’ve been saying since January… Kompany will buy Lokonga. I would push for it to be a straight buy for them. Not a loan offer.
He wants him.
Sounds like there are a lot of jeremy corbyn supporters in ashburton army which is a shame. The army has brought atmosphere to emirates, they done good, it’s sad to see they are anti semites as well.
New post