While Arsenal’s progress under Mikel Arteta cannot be doubted for a single second, losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final has placed more question marks over their calibre as winners.
Ultimately, football is a result-based business and the fact of the matter is that Arsenal are yet to win a single piece of silverware since 2020 — as their project seems to have plateaued for the time being.
Considering the Gunners could not beat PSG who were forced to name arguably their best player in Ousmane Dembele on the bench due to his ill-timed hamstring injury makes the visitors’ defeat even more questionable.
The likes of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba will be utterly devastated as they have shown in the Premier League as well as the Champions League that they belong at the elite level and yet, they are being accustomed to disappointment.
William Saliba could leave Arsenal after Champions League defeat vs PSG
While Saka has confirmed he will stay at Arsenal, whether Saliba feels the same remains a question mark as he has just two years left on his deal and PSG’s victory would not have persuaded him to put pen to paper in the slightest.
Crucially, L’Equipe reported that the Frenchman has been in talks with Real Madrid for a while and a key reason why is yet to his extend his contract at the Emirates Stadium as he would like the North Londoners to prove they can win trophies.
While Saliba will not force an exit, he could very well decide to pack his bags and potentially sign for Real Madrid as Arsenal’s loss against PSG might be proof that Mikel Arteta may be unable to take them over the finish line.
Real Madrid would sign Saliba tomorrow if they could and despite the poor season they have had by their lofty standards, their track record as European football’s ultimate serial winners speaks for itself.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold set to play his football in the Spanish capital coupled with the fact that Los Blancos already have superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, they could be back to their best shortly.
Furthermore, Xabi Alonso looks set to manage Real Madrid as well and considering the Spaniard has already won the Bundesliga, the proof exists that he could be the man to turn the 24-year-old into a winner as well.
How Andrea Berta has reacted to William Saliba being in talks with Real Madrid
Saliba was keen to stay at Arsenal and even now, he could very well extend his contract.
But things change quickly in football, with Alexander-Arnold deciding to leave Liverpool in March and confirming his exit a few months later.
Saliba’s talks with Real Madrid have prompted Andrea Berta to feel that Los Blancos are trying to “plant the seed” in his mind to leave Arsenal — a strategy that could prove successful if PSG’s win forces him to look elsewhere for success.
However, Berta is of the opinion that Los Merengues’ ploy is to eventually persuade the £27 million (BBC Sport) man to the point that they can sign him for either a bargain fee or for free in 2027.
In the meantime, Andrea Berta has stepped up talks to persuade Saliba to stay at Arsenal and sign a new deal but only time will tell whether his proactiveness is rewarded.
