Arsenal agreement with £125k-a-week star would be "huge statement" at Emirates

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By Jake Sanders

Published Jul 30, 2022

Arsenal convincing Bukayo Saka to commit his future to the Emirates Stadium would be a "huge statement of intent to the fans".

NUREMBERG, GERMANY - JULY 08: Mikel Arteta reacts during the pre-season friendly match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Arsenal F.C. at Max-Morlock-Stadion on July 08, 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

Arsenal convincing Bukayo Saka to commit his future to the Emirates Stadium would be a "huge statement of intent to the fans", according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The Hale End academy graduate has established himself as one of the top young players in the Premier League over the last two seasons, but there's still doubts over his long-term future in north London.

What is Saka's current contract situation?

Having enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2019-2020, which saw him make 38 appearances as an 18-year-old, the wide man, who was playing at left wing-back at the time, was rewarded with a long-term contract.

Two months before his 19th birthday, the England international penned a four-year deal in north London.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

But Saka now has just two years left on that contract, which means he's once again facing speculation surrounding his future, especially after being named as Arsenal's player of the year for his exploits last season.

However, The Sun believe the Gunners are prepared to quadruple Saka's wages and offer him £125,000 per-week in a new lucrative contract.

Should that prove the case, O'Rourke reckons that it'll be a standout moment for the club, especially having seen the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas all move on and enjoy success in years gone by.

What did O'Rourke say about Saka?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "It'll be a huge statement of intent to the fans and to everybody connected with the team that Arsenal are going places and they want to keep hold of their best players, because that's been a criticism in the past that they've lost and sold some of their best players to their rivals, so keeping Saka would be a huge statement that Arsenal do plan on keeping hold of their top players."

Why do Arsenal want to keep Saka?

Despite not turning 21 until the beginning of September, Saka has shown the quality and maturity of an individual who could go to the very top.

Already a regular in the England team, Saka has just enjoyed his best season to date, where he scored 12 goals, which made him the club's top scorer, and laid on seven assists, taking his overall Arsenal record to 23 goals and 29 assists in 131 appearances.

With Saka only likely to get better and the Gunners now finally heading in the right direction under Mikel Arteta's guidance, they need to keep the youngster on board at all costs and get his contract situation resolved.