Arsenal transfer news: Saliba to Real Madrid, Jorginho update, Eze interest, & more

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William Saliba to Real Madrid links no surprise, but no need to panic

William Saliba’s name is constantly being mentioned in the same breath as Real Madrid. That’s been the case for the past couple of years and it’s going to continue to be the case going forward.

And that’s no real surprise is it? Because let’s face it, he’s the best young centre-back in the world. To be honest, there’s a pretty strong argument to say that he is already the best centre-back in the world full stop.

So of course he’s going to be linked with Madrid, PSG and every other top side in Europe. Who wouldn’t want William Saliba at their club?

I don’t know how strong Madrid’s interest is in Saliba, but he’ll be on the radar, just as he will be for the other clubs that I’ve mentioned. If you were a sporting director at a top club and you weren’t keeping tabs on Saliba’s career and how things are going at Arsenal then you wouldn’t be doing your job right.

But that doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere soon. Arsenal worked very hard to secure Saliba to a new contract just 14 month ago and that deal still has three years left to run.

So there is no need to panic and Saliba is very, very happy at Arsenal. If I was Edu though, I would already be putting in the groundwork when it comes to Saliba’s next contract. Because the pace of his rise towards the very top of the game demands that Arsenal have to keep up.

I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I don’t see Saliba being a one club man. He’s not come through the ranks at Arsenal. He may have followed them as a boy in France, but he doesn’t have an undying loyalty towards them.

So I’m sure at some point he will want to try something new and when that time comes he will no doubt have the pick of which top club to join.

But Saliba is still just 23 and Arsenal have to make sure they have him for a fair while yet. Yes, he still has three years left on his deal, but his performances and growing stature within the game will dictate the need for improving those terms pretty soon.

You don’t want to get into a scenario where Saliba has just 18 months left on his contract, like he did last time. You want to make sure you are protected to avoid giving any interested clubs a stronger hand in terms of trying to prize him away.

So it’s something Arsenal will be looking at, but they won’t be worried just yet. Saliba is their player and I don’t see that changing for a fair while.

Arsenal won’t sell Jorginho, but will he get more playing time?

I’ve been a little bit surprised that Mikel Arteta has not used Jorginho so far this season. He was so key at times last season and Arsenal worked really hard to keep him at the club when they got him to sign his new deal in May.

Obviously we are still just getting into the new season and there is plenty of football still ahead of us. But I thought Jorginho would still get some minutes over those three games before the international break.

So I find it quite interesting that he’s yet to be used. I’m sure that will change when club football kicks off again, especially with the Carabao Cup getting underway and the start of the new look Champions League.

I’ve seen him linked with a possible move to Turkey, but that’s just not going to happen  given the transfer window is now shut over here. It’s very similar to the Leandro Trossard to Saudi Arabia stuff.

Even if the interest is there, Arsenal would just not be in the position to be able to let him go, given they are now unable to bring in a replacement.

And even with his minutes seemingly being reduced for now, Jorginho is still such an important influence on the squad. He’s a leader and he still plays a key role off the pitch, even when he’s not playing on it.

He’s so well regarded at the club. By his team-mates, by the coaching staff and by everyone else. He’s such a professional and you can see that on the touchline by the way he talks to his team-mates throughout the game when he’s warming up as a substitute. He’s basically an extra member of the coaching staff.

I still think he has a big part to play this season as well. He might not play lots of football, especially following the arrival of Mikel Merino. But he will still feature and I can see him being a big influence in the Champions League.

There’s a lot of football to be played and Mikel Arteta will need Jorginho. There’s no doubt about that.

Arsenal had Eberechi Eze interest, so why didn’t the deal happen?

I was really surprised that no-one really pushed the boat out for Eberechi Eze during the summer. I was sure, given his relatively kind release clause, that someone would have picked him up.

Lots of clubs, including Arsenal, had an interest, but that’s as far as it went.

I saw quotes from Palace chairman Steve Parish saying he was ‘genuinely astounded’ that no-one took Eze and I’m of the same view to be honest.

I thought he would have been a great option for Arsenal. Someone who would come in and really improve the squad and give Mikel Arteta plenty of options given his versatility.

I know that Arsenal went into the window looking to sign an X-Factor type attacker. Someone who could help them unlock tight games with a moment of individual brilliance. There was an awareness at the club ahead of the summer that they lacked that type of player and in my opinion Eze could have given them that. But for whatever reason they decided not to make their move and I was a bit disappointed with that.

It would have been a nice full circle moment for Eze had he been signed, given he was released from Arsenal’s academy when he was just 13.

That obviously happens with young players. It’s tough at that young age and there are countless examples of clubs releasing players who then go on to be superstars. It happened with Harry Kane and Arsenal of course.

At 13 the club and the academy coaches at Hale End felt Eze wasn’t what they needed, but he has gone on to prove them wrong which is great to see.

Erik ten Hag is no Mikel Arteta

Manchester United getting picked apart by Liverpool at Old Trafford just before the international break was inevitable. It was always going to happen.

I just don’t see Erik ten Hag turning things around there. It doesn’t matter who they buy and how much money they spend. With ten Hag in charge they will not make any progress in the league.

They might still win a cup because they have individuals who can get them over the line in a one off game. They are a team that rely on moments and have been for some time now.

But over the course of a league season I have seen no evidence whatsoever since ten Hag walked in that he has what it takes to compete for a title.

I was stunned when they stuck with him in the summer and gave him a new contract. I just didn’t see the sense in that decision, even after the FA Cup win.

I know everyone points to Arsenal as an example as why you should stick with a manager. Mikel Arteta is now seen as a blueprint by many for keeping faith when things aren’t working out.

I get that in a way, but there are some differences. You could see, even when results were poor, what Arteta was trying to do at Arsenal. You could see his vision and what he wanted to build.

I just don’t see that with Ten Hag. This is his third season now at United and I’m still at a loss as to what he wants his United team to be and how he wants them to play.

And it’s not like he hasn’t been given the tools to change things. He’s been given so much money to bring players in and most of that has been wasted.

So I’m not surprised they’ve had a tough start to the season. They were given a lesson by Liverpool, who look very impressive under Arne Slot.

United might still look like a bunch of individuals running all over the place, but Liverpool look like a proper team.

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