Arsenal: New Bukayo Saka contract makes biggest titles inevitable under Mikel Arteta | OneFootball

It looks like Bukayo Saka is close to signing a new contract, which is just about the best news Arsenal supporters could wish for.

According to French journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Saka has ‘agreed in principle’ to extend his deal to 2030, meaning he will remain at Arsenal until he is 29 years old.

Bukayo Saka: Key career stats

The reliable Hawkins wrote on X on Wednesday evening: ‘Bukayo Saka agrees in principle to extend his contract with Arsenal until 2030. 24yo winger entered final 2yrs of previous deal. After William Saliba, the Gunners will secure Bukayo Saka.’

Saka’s current deal expires in 2027, which has created mild uncertainty about his long-term future in north London, although a departure has never truly felt likely.

Since breaking into the first team as a teenager, Saka has been Arsenal’s driving force. He carried the club through some of their toughest post-Arsene Wenger years, showing leadership and consistency far beyond his age.

Unfortunately for both Saka and Arsenal, those performances have not yet resulted in silverware. Still, they have helped transform the club under Mikel Arteta, leading to three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League, which is a far cry from where Arteta started in 2019.

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Securing Saka’s prime years makes titles inevitable for Arsenal

But the silverware is coming, surely…

After tying down William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and now potentially Saka to new long-term deals, the foundations are in place for Arsenal to finally end their two-decade wait for a Premier League title and become a dynasty.

Considering how outstanding Saka has been from the ages of 18 to 24, it is exciting to think about what he can produce between now and his 29th birthday in 2030.

Gabriel is tied down until he’s 31, Saliba until he’s 30, Martin Zubimendi from 26 to 31, Noni Madueke from 23 to 28, Viktor Gyokeres from 27 to 32, Riccardo Calafiori from 22 to 27, and Ebere Eze from 27 to 31. Declan Rice (26) is under contract until 2028 with the option for another year, while club captain Martin Odegaard is also tied down for another two and a half years.

With that group in place, and with Saka arguably the most important of the lot, Arsenal winning major trophies feels like a matter of when, not if.

Saka and Saliba deals are major early wins for Andrea Berta

Convincing Saka and Saliba to commit to new contracts is the biggest early success of Andrea Berta’s reign as sporting director.

Saka was always expected to stay, but Saliba was in a far more delicate situation. Berta successfully convinced him that Arsenal is the best place for his long-term future, despite the Frenchman having won nothing with the club and attracting strong interest from Real Madrid. Saliba could even have left on a free transfer in 2027 and secured a huge signing-on fee, but Arsenal kept him.

Berta’s first summer window was also filled with positives, including beating Spurs to the signing of Eze, finally landing an elite centre-forward in Gyokeres, and bringing in Cristhian Mosquera for just £13 million.