Arsenal have gone from strength to strength under Mikel Arteta’s leadership, and after successive seasons of falling agonisingly short against Manchester City in the Premier League title race, ambitious moves are being made this summer.
Dynamic defender Riccardo Calafiori has completed a £42m transfer from Bologna, while Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino, Euro 2024 champion, is in the process of moving to the Emirates Stadium. David Raya’s initial loan move from Brentford has also been wrapped up for £27m.
The meteoric growth of the Gunners’ type does not come without its caveats, with some beloved academy graduates seemingly headed for the exit this summer.
Arsenal transfer news
Fulham have signed Emile Smith Rowe for a fee rising to £34m, with the creative midfielder’s sale met with a doleful response by supporters but candidly right for all parties, with the 24-year-old only starting three Premier League fixtures across the past two years.
Now, sporting director Edu is focusing on Eddie Nketiah’s situation, with the centre-forward the subject of a recent rejected bid from Marseille as Arsenal hold firm on their £30m asking price.
Once described as a “monster” by journalist Aaron Catterson-Reid, Nketiah is a proven goalscorer but Arteta is set on lifting his club to the summit of European football, and a new striker is being targetted to complement Gabriel Jesus and continue the growth.
Such poignant exits are part and parcel of the project that the Spanish tactician is crafting, but there’s one man who certainly won’t be going anywhere for many years to come. Indeed, William Saliba is the fulcrum of the north Londoner’s defence, and worth a hefty sum more than the aforementioned departees.
William Saliba’s market value in 2024
Saliba joined Arsenal on a long-term deal in 2019, aged 18, with the £27m outlay authorised as the club felt they had secured the services of a generational talent.
A string of loan spells in Ligue 1 proved to be his making, and having now completed two seasons in the Premier League, he’s regarded as a “world-class” player, as said by The Telegraph’s Uche Amako.
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William Saliba: Premier League Statistics |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistic |
# |
|
Matches (starts) |
65 (65) |
|
Wins |
49 |
|
Draws |
7 |
|
Losses |
8 |
|
Goals |
4 |
|
Clean sheets |
29 |
|
Goals conceded |
54 |
|
Tackles |
64 |
|
Tackle success |
61% |
|
Total duels won |
248 |
|
Stats via Premier League |
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As such, that initial hefty outlay looks to have been worth the effort and then some in hindsight, with CIES Football Observatory – a research facility based in Switzerland – actually valuing the 23-year-old at £95m, underscoring his sensational rise, coinciding with the Emirates outfits under Arteta.
In fact, even combining the reported price tags of Smith Rowe and Nketiah (£64m) would fall £31m below the “machine” of a centre-half, as he has been dubbed by defensive partner Gabriel Magalhaes.
You could even chuck in Reiss Nelson, with the winger also sitting on the periphery in north London and attracting interest from Premier League teams this summer – with Leicester City and West Ham United interested in the £15m-rated ace – and it would fall £16m below the Frenchman’s value.
He’s a monstrous defender, only set to continue to rise over the coming years, potentially even hanging up the boots on English football, one day, as one of the division’s all-time phenomenons in defence.
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Alongside Merino: Arsenal racing for “monster” to rival the Spaniard
The vastly experienced international would be an excellent signing.
