Andrea Berta has arrived at Arsenal, and he’s not wasted any time in getting down to business.
Indeed, Martin Zubimendi is set to sign for Arsenal this summer, while Berta also has work to do on the contract front.
Arsenal want William Saliba to sign a new deal, while Bukayo Saka is also set for new contract talks.
It feels like a foregone conclusion that Saka will sign a new deal. After all, he’s a boyhood Arsenal fan who is thriving at the Emirates.
However, according to James Olley, speaking on ESPN, there is a bit of an underlying issue between Saka’s agents and Arsenal.
Why Arsenal and Bukayo Saka’s agents have a problem
According to Olley, there has been a bit of friction between Arsenal and Bukayo Saka’s agents recently.
According to the journalist, Saka’s agents were the ones who brokered Chido Obi-Martin’s move from Arsenal to Manchester United, and, in turn, that didn’t go down well at the Emirates.
“I really don’t think Saka is the problem. I really think they will be able to commit him to a new deal,” Olley said.
“The only thing, there is a bit of background on this, Saka’s agent was also the agent who did the Chido Obi-Martin deal to Manchester United. There was a bit of friction between the agency and the club from that deal. The key factor is that Edu is no longer there, the fact that Andrea Berta comes in probably means it’s a clean slate.”
Who else do Bukayo Saka’s agents represent?
Bukayo Saka’s agency worked on the Chido Obi-Martin to Manchester United deal, and they also have a few other clients that may be of interest to Arsenal.
| Footballers represented by Bukayo Saka’s agency |
| Jamie Gittens |
| Jadon Sancho |
| Alex Iwobi |
| Folarin Balogun |
| Eddie Nketiah |
| Romeo Lavia |
Jamie Gittens has been linked to Arsenal, while Folarin Balogun, Alex Iwobi and Eddie Nketiah are, of course, former Gunners.
Whether or not this issue with Saka’s agents will affect the player’s contract talks remains to be seen.
Ultimately, this decision will rest on Saka and Arsenal, and the agents can only have so much sway, but it has to be said that this would be a smoother process if everyone was on the same page.
Fingers crossed Saka can get his contract negotiations ironed out soon and a new deal is signed promptly.
