Bukayo Saka signs a new contract

Morning all.

Let’s start with the news that Bukayo Saka’s new contract (which we’ve known about for some time) has been signed, and it was made official yesterday with an announcement on the Arsenal website. The new deal runs until 2030, and since his debut he has made 297 appearances for the club, with 78 goals and 78 assists to his name.

He says:

I’m feeling amazing. I think it’s a fantastic moment for my family and for me. I feel immense joy to continue my journey at this club. For me, it was an easy commitment and I just hope to win everything here.

In the good moments, in the bad moments, the support I feel from the fans, there’s no words to describe it. In my heart, I just want to repay that. So, I hope when I go on the pitch, they see that I give everything and that I just want to do everything to help bring glory back to this club, in whatever way I can help. I just hope they see that, and hopefully one day we’ll be able to celebrate that achievement together.

I have to say, I feel a bit sorry for him that this announcement was very obviously pushed out after the Wolves debacle, to deflect some of the heat around that. I think we all understand why, and sympathy for him or anyone else might very well be in short supply, but I guess that’s the kind of cynical world/football world we live in right now. Manage the message and the mood at every available opportunity.

And look, there’ll be people who say it’s a bit much to feel sorry for someone who’s gonna earn an absurd amount of money every week etc etc. I get that, but I think it’s possible to separate the pay cheque from the person, and for me Bukayo Saka and the way he has delivered on such a consistent basis, and represented this club with real distinction in good times and bad, deserves a bit better than the old ‘Look over there! Good news everybody!’ flim-flam. Maybe that’s just me. Anyway, this is great news, his future is secured along with so many of our top players, and that can only be a good thing.

What I will say though is that his output this season hasn’t been quite at the level you’d expect, and I’m sure he’d agree with that. Right now, I think everyone is being judged through the prism of the anxiety that has enveloped this season, and again I understand that. The team has an opportunity to do something we’ve all been waiting a long, long time for, and in Premier League terms our forwards are not giving us what we need.

There’s probably a discussion to be had about whether that’s down entirely to those individuals, or if there’s a collective issue at play here. If everyone is below par, it’s more likely to be a bit more the latter, but the numbers aren’t really at the level you’d expect from a title winning side.

Arsenal Forward Stats Premier League 2025-26

Personally, I think Saka has been better than some of the commentary I’ve seen around him, but also not anywhere near his best on a consistent basis. Now, obviously, would be a very good time for him to find some form, because time is running out this season. And while I think it’s too great a burden to say he – or any player – has to drag us over the line, we stand a much better chance of achieving what we want if one or two (or more) catch fire a bit in terms of goals and assists.

Saka is the star man of this project, so there’s more focus on him, not least because we know – much like the team itself – he’s capable of better than we’ve seen this season. The new contract probably makes that spotlight shine even brighter on him, but I think we know from past experience that that’s not something that will faze him. He’s dealt with challenges in the past, and I back him to do it again. There’s a huge game on Sunday, and if that’s the moment he kicks on again, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.

As I said though, this is not a one-man team, and it’s the job of Mikel Arteta to elicit better from Saka and all of our other attacking players. I don’t know if it’s about giving them freedom, taking the handbrake off, making our football feel less inhibited, dealing with the particular challenge of how other Premier League teams set up against us, our own insecurities/fears, or a combination of all of those things, but there’s zero room for us to feel sorry for ourselves after Wolves. There must be an immediate response.

Perhaps the Saka news gives us that little boost, on top of the determination and resolve to put right what went so badly wrong at Molineux. Only time will tell in that regard, but I hope we can see it on the pitch on Sunday. And, as he has often been in the past, if Saka is the difference maker in a crucial game, then it’d be quite fitting for him to mark this occasion in the best way possible.

Right, I’m gonna leave it there for now. We’ll bring you all the news from the manager’s press conference later on Arseblog News, and our North London derby preview pod will drop tomorrow as I thought it was probably best to take a breath after discussion of Wednesday night. If you haven’t listened yet, James and I get into it below.

Have a great Friday folks.

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