Why Arsenal should be wary of Saliba transfer interest

Suraj Radia

• 20 Dec 2023 18:23 GMT
• 3 min read

It has been a long time since Arsenal have had to be wary of major European sides tempting their star players into big money moves but Mikel Arteta may have to prepare for serious interest in one of his young prodigies.

Arsenal saw crucial first team players such as Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry and Samir Nasri join rivals under Arsene Wenger but the last time such a departure happened was when Alexis Sanchez moved to Manchester United in 2018.

Under Arteta, Arsenal have formed a new identity of young Gunners and have prioritised players who are excited to spend their prime years at the Emirates, having developed an affinity to the club through years of development.

One such player has been William Saliba, with the Frenchman becoming increasingly crucial to Arteta since breaking into Arsenal’s team last season after multiple loan spells away.

Arsenal have tried to manage spending under Arteta but the Gunners spent more than €200 million in the summer including more than €100m on Declan Rice, leaving them operating under tight constraints to continue to strengthen in their desired areas.

With player wages also still modest at the Emirates, Arsenal’s spending will continue to rise as they push for more titles and their players continue to develop, however a consequence could be more interest in their stars and big money offers that could prove difficult to reject in the long-run, with Saliba likely to be a prime candidate.

William Saliba: From London…to Madrid?

Having spent a large chunk of time and money revitalising their midfield and attack, it is perhaps unsurprising that Real Madrid’s defence appears next to face a transition, something which could come sooner rather than later after David Alaba’s recent injury.

The 31-year-old faces as extended spell on the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, leaving Real scrambling to sign a replacement, with Nacho and Antonio Rudiger left as their only centre-backs, having seen Eder Militao suffer a similar injury during the summer.

According to SciSports, which uses data-driven analytics to give an insight into a player, one of the most similar replacements for Alaba could be Saliba – a player whom Real have long monitored and admired.

While Arsenal would certainly have no interest in selling their talismanic defender, Real would represent an intriguing opportunity for all players and could prove tempting if Arsenal once again fail to win any silverware this season.

Real have proven they will spend the appropriate money on the best talents and there is perhaps no better young defender in world football than Saliba, while an offer in excess of €80 million would ease Arsenal’s financial fair play concerns.

Arsenal’s record sale, surprisingly, remains Marc Overmars’ €40m departure to Barcelona in 2000 and the Gunners will have to eclipse that at some point to continue their spending, leaving them and Saliba in an intriguing predicament if Real did come knocking for an Alaba replacement.