William Saliba reveals what new-look Arsenal may be capable of
- Saliba signed a new four-year contract at Arsenal on Friday
- The 22-year-old emerged as one of the club's most important players in 2022/23
- A back injury ruled Saliba out of the final few months of the season, derailing Arsenal's title bid
William Saliba is aiming to achieve "everything" at Arsenal after penning a new long-term contract at the club.
The 22-year-old's deal runs until the summer of 2027, with new and improved terms a reward for Saliba's outstanding debut season.
Loan spells at Saint-Etienne, OGC Nice and Marseille appeared to stand Saliba in good stead, as he slotted in seamlessly alongside Gabriel Magalhaes to form one of the Premier League's more commanding centre-back duos.
A back injury picked up against Sporting CP in March cost Saliba the chance to participate in Arsenal's run-in, and his absence was felt as Mikel Arteta's side surrendered their early season momentum to finish behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Saliba says it was an easy decision to commit his future to Arsenal, revealing in an interview the club's media team that he wants to win everything available to him while at the Emirates Stadium.
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“Honestly the decision was easy because I had a really good season last season, but unfortunately I didn't finish it because of injury," Saliba said of his new deal. "So I want more. I want to play more years for this amazing club. I didn't achieve anything yet, so I want to win everything with this club.
“I'm so, so, so hungry because I didn't play for four months and I didn't help my team. So I hope I won't have an injury this season, I want to be here all this season with the team. I'm so, so hungry to play on. I can't wait to be on the pitch.
“I think we can achieve everything,” he added of Arsenal's capabilities. “Of course, it's easy to say this, but we have the coach, we have the character, we have the players and every year the team gets stronger. We have better players with a good mentality. We have a good experience from the last season as well. We know that the season is so long. So we are confident and we know we can do something good at this club.”
Arsenal have looked to build on last season's vast improvement by spending big in the summer transfer window. Kai Havertz has arrived from London rivals Chelsea, while moves for West Ham captain Declan Rice and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber are close to completion. Once completed, the Gunners will have committed to spending over £200m on the trio.
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