Arsenal have always been confident since December on renewing William Saliba’s contract at the Emirates after automatically extending the existing deal until 2024. Although nothing is agreed yet, Saliba has expressed a desire to stay and work under Mikel Arteta. The Premier League leaders view tying him down as a priority.

Renewing Gabriel Martinelli was pretty simple. Even Martinelli, who has 11 goals this season, said he only needed a pen. And Bukayo Saka is expected to extend as well. A verbal agreement is in place until 2028.

Will William Saliba sign new Arsenal contract?

Saliba was always a little more complicated (but still only comparatively speaking). Although the 21-year-old has been at Arsenal since 2019, he only played his first game for the club this season and has become an automatic starter since.

But there was uncertainty over his future during the summer. Marseille desperately wanted to keep him after an excellent loan spell in 2021/22. In fact, their former boss Jorge Sampaoli made it crystal clear to the club’s hierarchy just how disappointed he was that stronger efforts weren’t made to agree a transfer. Marseille had Champions League football and yet never got particularly close to an agreement. Sampaoli saw this as a lack of ambition. Arsenal would probably argue they were never going to agree to a fee before assessing Saliba first, though.

It's now clear to everyone why Sampaoli put so much stock in Saliba, who played 52 times for Marseille. Saliba is calm, exceptional on the ball and gives Arsenal authority and physicality at the back.

Saliba, valued at €90m (£80m) by CIES, loved his time in France, though, including loan spells at Nice and St Etienne. And getting an extension done hasn’t been routine since Saliba needed to understand Arsenal’s plan for him first, and Mikel Arteta also took time to assess him. All this means talks were always behind other Arsenal renewals (whether the done ones or ongoing), which is to be expected.

Arsenal’s instant priority was to fend off interest during a period when Saliba was still unsettled, and then give him a chance – and we’ll now see talks ramp up because it’s clear Arsenal view Saliba as integral.

Arteta has handled the situation smartly. Firstly he made it clear to Saliba he wanted him back from Marseille. Then, when Saliba first returned, Arteta let him settle without any interference. The Arsenal boss wanted to see how Saliba responded without micromanaging the situation.

Arteta looks at simple things to begin with: a player’s first touch, how they respond to losing the ball and their character on and off the field. Saliba ticked all the right boxes and that’s why he was thrown straight in.

From there, Arteta told Saliba how valued he was, and once the French defender realised he was going to get game time, Marseille stood no real chance of landing him over the summer. Now it’s a case of terms being agreed. Saliba will want a significant pay rise, while Arsenal are hoping for a slightly longer deal than all parties first anticipated.

Talks continue, but Arsenal are calm about the situation. The full expectation remains Saliba will extend. I think it also helps that PSG have agreed a summer deal for Inter’s Milan Skriniar. PSG’s new model is to buy young and buy French, so Saliba on paper is a perfect fit. And the French champions will want a younger centre-back over the coming windows.

Saliba was born in Bondy, 10km from Paris, so even with his Marseille connections would have no issue in theory making a move to the Parc des Princes. PSG are monitoring the situation as a result. But Saliba, after three loans, and now an automatic starter at Arsenal, isn’t looking for a transfer. He sees his long-term future with Arsenal.

Will Kieran Tierney leave Arsenal?

Kieran Tierney could leave Arsenal after seeing his minutes diminished this season. Oleksandr Zinchenko has taken his place. Tierney has held face-to-face talks with Arteta to better understand his future and was encouraged to fight for his place.

Arteta is still a little undecided whether to let him go. Plus another challenge is getting strong value from any transfer. That would mean a fee in excess of the £25m Arsenal paid Celtic.

The Newcastle interest is genuine. Left-back is an area Eddie Howe knows he needs to strengthen. I am told Tierney ideally wants European football still, which may rule out Aston Villa despite some links. And there is interest from Ligue 1, too. Keep an eye on Monaco, especially if Caio Henrique leaves. There will be interest in the Brazilian, but I should also point out he only signed a new deal until 2027 last summer.

Does Reiss Nelson have future at Arsenal?

Reiss Nelson has been at Arsenal since he was nine and would love to extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season. It’s up to Arsenal now and discussions are taking place over an extension.

Brighton and Nice are both very interested, and I think Nelson has been contemplating his next move for much of the season. After all, he’s lacked opportunities. But I sense the dramatic game-winning goal against Bournemouth might have changed everything. Before that it looked like his only chance of significant game time was in the Europa League.

The truth is, Nelson would extend tomorrow at Arsenal if given the opportunity and, as importantly, the minutes. So it’s about now understanding what Arsenal are prepared to offer and what kind of pathway to regular football Arteta can promise. Whether he stays or goes, though, Nelson will go down in Arsenal folklore for that Bournemouth goal alone.