Arsenal want internal agreement with £40k-a-week star after Saka at the Emirates

Arsenal want internal agreement with £40k-a-week star after Saka at the Emirates

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has suggested that £40k-a-week Arsenal star could be next to sign a new deal at the Emirates.

Arsenal defender William Saliba is the 'next one on the list' at the Emirates to sign a new deal, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT.

The 22-year-old has been in sensational form since returning from a spell in France out on loan.

Arsenal news - William Saliba

Saliba, who is earning £40k-a-week at Arsenal, spent last season out on loan at French club Olympique Marseille.

At the end of that campaign, Saliba was awarded with the UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award, for his impressive performances at the back.

Mikel Arteta recently expressed his desire to extend the contracts of his key players. He said: "Part of the plan obviously is to extend the contracts of our biggest talents at the club and commit them to the future. We are trying to do that."

Bukayo Saka is close to signing a new deal at the club, with the MailOnline reporting that he will earn close to £15m-a-season. Saliba could be the next to commit to the Gunners, according to Jacobs.

What has Jacobs said about Saliba?

Jacobs has suggested that Saliba will be the next on the list at the Emirates.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "The next one on the list will be Saliba. As I've said many times, this renewal has been a bit more complicated because Saliba only came back to Arsenal at the beginning of the season from a loan spell at Marseille.

"He wasn't sure at that point what his future would be, and he'd enjoyed playing in France. When he left that loan spell, Marseille had Champions League football, so there was always a possibility that sticking with them on a permanent transfer might be right for him and his development.

"Marseille didn't show much ambition, despite wanting to sign the player, and Arsenal always knew what a talent Saliba was. Therefore, any price tag Arsenal were asking for was probably out of Marseille's reach.

"Now, Saliba has been thrown straight into the Arsenal side all season and has been exceptional and is an automatic starter."

How has Saliba performed this season?

Back in February, Alan Shearer, working with The Athletic, named his 'team of the season' so far, with Saliba selected at the heart of the defence. Multiple other writers also had Saliba in their team, which is an impressive achievement considering it's his first campaign in the Premier League.

The French defender has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 in England's top flight this term, with a pass completion of 91%, 3.0 clearances and 1.3 tackles per game.

Overall, the introduction of Saliba to this Arsenal team is a key reason as to why they're currently top of the table.