Arsenal star admits Real Madrid tempted him | OneFootball

William Saliba has reiterated that he prioritised winning trophies with Arsenal over moving to Real Madrid when he signed his contract extension in September.

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Arsenal centre-back William Saliba signed a new deal with the club in September, putting pen to paper on a contract that lasts until 2030.

The news was a big boost for the club, particularly because the defender had reliable reports of interest from Real Madrid. Speaking to the French media this week, Saliba has explained his thinking around the decision.

“Of course, it is tempting when a club like that shows interest in you,” Saliba said. “However, my priority was to stay at Arsenal and win trophies.”

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The comments are similar to something Saliba said shortly after signing his contract, when he was asked if he was tempted to follow in the footsteps of Trent Alexander-Arnold by running down his deal and leaving for Madrid.

“As you said, he won some titles with Liverpool,” Saliba pointed out. “Me? I didn’t win anything here except the Community Shield, only Community Shield.

“So yeah, I’ve done nothing for this club to think about leaving. I want to stay here and win a lot of trophies.

“I love this club, I cannot leave this club without giving them something back. I won nothing, so my first choice was to stay here and win everything first.”

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The good news for Arsenal fans is that they have quite a long time to win some trophies with Saliba. Even if the Gunners win major honours this season, the centre-back will still have another four years on his contract afterwards.

There’s no prospect of Real Madrid luring Saliba away on a free transfer until 2030 at the earliest, by which point the defender will be 29. If they want him before that, they’d probably have to invest a major fee.