After three months of waiting, Arsenal finally announced the long drawn out contract extension of Bukayo Saka today, with the club confirming he will remain at the club until 2027.
David Ornstein first broke the news in February that a verbal agreement was in place, and the final details were still being ironed out. At that point, no one expected it to take three months before the official announcement was made.
But now fans can relax knowing that one of our best players over the last three years will remain at the club for another four years, and we will continue to witness his rise to becoming one of the best players in world football.
Since breaking into the team, Saka has grown year on year. He has never had a one off season. He has got better each season by refining his game, and there is still a lot of room for improvement, which is why this deal is so important for the club.
Much has been made about the value of the contract, with many outlets clinging to the top end figure, reporting that Saka will take home £290-300k per week, however Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail reported last month that his base wage was £10m per season, which is around £192k per week.
For us mere humans, that is an astounding amount of money, however in football terms, it brings him within touching distance of the Premier League’s top earners, and still significantly below a lot of the big boys in the league.
The one concern for fans will be over the length of the deal, with no option of an extra year in the way the club have secured with Martinelli, meaning we will have to extend again in two years time, but for now, let’s celebrate the fact we have this superstar for another four years.
This season, Saka has been key to our title challenge, with 13 goals and 11 assists, which is an incredible figure for a 21 year old, and one that should grow even further next season if Arsenal add the right depth and prevent another end of season burn out.
And, when it comes to recruitment, this deal is massive. It not only means that Arsenal do not have to worry about him leaving and replacing him, but it is a seal of approval for the project, and top players will be attracted to the club because of him.
In previous regimes, failure to extend star player’s contracts has led to doubts about whether players will remain at the club, however when Arsenal speak to the likes of Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo and Mason Mount this summer, they will be able to guarantee that their star players will be at the club for the foreseeable future, and that will be a massive carrot to attract top talent.
Written by: Adam Keys (adamkeys_)
The Arsenal Therapy Podcast 