‘He isn’t going anywhere’: Arsenal told £27m player isn’t leaving despite rumours

‘He isn’t going anywhere’: Arsenal told £27m player isn’t leaving despite rumours

that William Saliba will sign a new contract and stay at Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal beyond the 2023 summer transfer window.

There are some Arsenal fans who are starting to worry that their star centre-back could be headed for the exit door – he has 12 months left to run on his current contract, with PSG keen.

The issue isn’t PSG’s interest, it’s on top of William Saliba and Arsenal stalling over a new contract, but Campbell was straight to the point, ‘he isn’t going anywhere’, as he told The Highbury Squad.

A player’s importance becomes greater or shines the brightest, not when he is playing, but when he is out of the side.

That was the case with Saliba during the final few months of the season as he had to watch on from the sidelines as Mikel Arteta’s side shot themselves in the foot whilst going for the Premier League title.

It could be argued that the 22-year-old is perhaps his side’s most important player, either way, this contract talk will get done, according to Campbell.

“He’s already in the building,” said Campbell. “He isn’t going anywhere. I’m not worried about it at all.

“It’s just people being people with their opinions. He’s going nowhere. He is in our building. Proven now. One season or nearly a full season. Without him, we aren’t the same team.

“There’s no way Arsenal are letting him go. Just think ‘how much would it cost to replace him?’ Just the transfer fee alone it’s going to cost you what you are giving me wages, so you might as well just give him the wages.

“It’s part of the negotiations. They are going to kiss and make up, then when he signs the contract, everything is going to be alright.”

After signing for Arsenal in 2019 for £27 million as a fresh-faced teenager (Sky Sports), it took Saliba a while to earn those first-team stripes.

The wait was worth it, for the player himself and the fans because he just produced a quite stellar debut season.

But once that new contract is signed by the France International, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is at the Emirates for years and years to come.