For a while now, a lot of Arsenal fans have been worried about William Saliba’s long-term future at the club amid reported interest from Real Madrid.
Saliba has been crucial to all of the progress Arsenal have made under Mikel Arteta in recent seasons.
And if the Gunners are going to go one better in pursuit of the Premier League title next season, they’ll need the Frenchman to remain at the heart of their defence.
After all, Saliba’s back injury at the tail end of the 2022/23 season was arguably why Arsenal let their lead slip to Manchester City at the top of the league.
Fortunately, Saliba has just confirmed his commitment to Arsenal in the club’s press conference before their Champions League second leg against PSV Eindhoven.
William Saliba doesn’t want to be forgotten at Arsenal
Saliba spoke alongside Arteta and was asked about his future, and the defender’s reply will undoubtedly be loved by Arsenal fans far and wide.
The defender said: “I’m happy here, that’s it. I want to win big things with Arsenal.
“If you leave this club without winning anything the fans will forget about you. I want to win big things here.”
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An incredibly reassuring message, and Arsenal do want to hand Saliba a new contract – talks they are planning to commence before the summer.
Of course, Saliba’s line about how fans can ‘forget’ you if leave your club without winning major honours is a very interesting line.
Plenty of players have felt the need to leave Arsenal over the past decade or so to realise their ambitions of winning trophies, particularly in the twilight of the Arsene Wenger era.
And when you consider that Robin van Persie departed Arsenal having only a solitary FA Cup, Saliba’s comments seem very relevant to the striker.
Robin van Persie left Arsenal with only an FA Cup medal
Put bluntly, Van Persie left Arsenal on bad terms, at least from a fan point of view.
The Dutchman turned his back on the Gunners in pursuit of trophy wins with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, a decision that paid dividends from that point of view.
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However, Van Persie left Arsenal without winning a league title, and he will likely be a name that is mentioned less and less often in N5 in years to come as a result.
Thierry Henry will never be forgotten, Ian Wright will never be forgotten, but Van Persie chose to leave Arsenal to win elsewhere.
Therefore, Saliba’s comments might make grim reading for someone like the Dutchman in terms of his Arsenal legacy, even if he may comfort himself with his place in Man United’s history books.
