With just three goals conceded in their opening ten Premier League games and a current streak of seven games without conceding a goal in all competitions, Arsenal’s defence has been at the core of their impressive start.
Mikel Arteta’s side currently sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League as they look to end a two-decade wait for the league title, while they have three out of three in the Champions League and have made it through to the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup.
When a team is on a run of form like this one, it is inevitable that their star performers will catch the eye of Europe’s big hitters and that has certainly been the case in recent weeks.
Arsenal star responds to Real Madrid interest
One of the first names on Arteta’s teamsheet is defender William Saliba, who joined the club in 2019 and was ranked by FourFourTwo at No.2 in a list of the best centre-backs in the world earlier this year.
Arsenal clearly realise how vital the 24-year-old is to their side and was handed a new long-term deal at the end of September, securing his future until 2030. What this has also done is ward off Real Madrid, who were linked with the France international back in the summer.
Following the summer transfer window, Spanish outlet AS reported that the La Liga leaders opted not to sign Saliba as they opted for a cheaper option in Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen, but Los Blancos did have one eye on looking to bring Saliba to the Bernabeu in 2026.
With his new deal freshly signed, Saliba has now commented on the speculation.
“Of course, it’s always tempting when a club like that makes a move,” he told French TV programme Telefoot, as relayed by Le10 Sport. “But for me, (my desire) was to stay at Arsenal. First, win trophies, before thinking about anything else.”
Madrid had reportedly look to leverage Saliba’s relationship with Kylian Mbappe, as the pair played together as youngsters at AS Bondy’s academy.
“No, the Bondy connection is with the French national team, for now,” Saliba said, as he dismissed the chance of a reunion at club level.
In FourFourTwo’s view, Arsenal fans should be encouraged by Saliba’s take on Real Madrid interest, as he clearly did not allow his head to be turned by the most high-profile club in world football.
Securing his future with a new deal has meant Arsenal are in control of the sitution, with Salbia’s value currently at €80million, as per Transfermarkt, which would be a significant outlay even for Madrid.
The timing of the deal is also notable, as the feel-good factor of the news and fact that Arsenal have not conceded a goal since the defender put pen to paper, coinciding with the Gunners’ excellent run of form and allowing fans to dream of finally ending thir Premier League title drought.
