SALIBA SAYS NO...

...TO MADRID. DID I SCARE YOU?

Middle-aged, but I’ve still got it when it comes to being of the internet… if you know, you know. My content is lit and it slaps “my boy”, as the kids would say.

You know what else the kids are saying? William Saliba has no interest in moving to Madrid right now. That’s exciting. I’ve been pondering this news all day whilst watching Liverpool fans debase themselves in a classless manner online, because one of their all-time greats moved to Real Madrid.

I will laugh at their predicament, but I won’t do it too aggressively. No, this is the sort of laugh you do when an enemy of your 2-year-old hits the deck with a yoghurt pouch in hand. A deep snort and chortle, followed by utter composure—maybe even lending a supportive handkerchief to the teary-eyed pug. Those Liverpool fan feelings could be ours in two years' time. Football comes at you fast. Trent is 26 years old, he’s won it all for them, and he’s being pilloried online—and probably at every petrol station he pulls into.

I hope that’s not Arsenal fans when the inevitable happens.

We have to be thankful Big Bill is saying no to Madrid—because he doesn’t have to. He could agitate for a move and get one. But Arsenal pay him well, he’s the king in our defence, and one would suspect Andrea Berta is about to sign off on a big, fat increase to his already eyewatering wages.

… and it’d be worth it. We didn’t get our Virgil at 26—we’ve had him since he was 18 years old. He will be the best defender on the planet when the Liverpool man has his dip next year. And I really hope he feels like he’s being paid that way—so he doesn’t send his agents off to chirp at the nation-state-monied clubs.

David Raya is speaking the language we all want to hear, and his thinking is probably why Saliba is holding on at Arsenal.

‘It’s a great, great place to be. It’s a great club and the team is incredible,’

‘I think we are going in the right direction to achieve things together. It’s just a matter of time on when it will happen.

‘Everybody wants to win the Champions League and everybody knows how hard it is, but we are very, very excited.

‘Now we have a big challenge ahead, playing against Real Madrid but this is the type of game that are the ones you really wanted to play when you were young, this is the type of game that everybody wants to play, so very, very excited to see where that goes.’

Footballers know their careers are precious. They know what shit looks like, and they know what greatness brewing feels like. Relationships, personal development, mood, and environment all coming together is rare.

When you find a club that feels like it’s on the right path, you’d be foolish to move on. You can tell how good it is at Arsenal by how few players want to leave—even if they aren’t getting minutes. Saliba feels that. So do all the other players who will commit this year.

Arsenal should have won the league this year. A lot of the fault lies with the summer and how Arteta ran his players into the ground.

But… on the positive side:

We had horrific luck, reffing, and injuries—and we’re still second in the league and in the quarterfinals of the UCL.

The things we need to do this summer are very clear.

The financial concerns of last season have been put to one side.

The club let Arteta hire his NOW man—who wouldn’t have joined if we weren’t serious about investment.

If we get the summer right—with the sort of names being linked—who can get close to Arsenal next season?

Not many.

So Saliba saying no to Madrid kind of makes sense.

There’s nowhere better to become immortal.

Ok, short one today. Check out the latest Therapy Session. xx