Sol Campbell: ‘Arsenal must flex their muscles or risk losing William Saliba’ | Football

Sol Campbell has warned Arsenal that a poor summer of recruitment could tempt defensive linchpin William Saliba to seek a move elsewhere.

Campbell, himself, is no stranger to running down a contract to keep his options open having famously moved across north London on a free transfer to join Arsenal from arch-rivals Tottenham in 2001.

But the Englishman now fears that his former club could suffer a similar fate with Saliba, who has blossomed into one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs having arrived at the Emirates as a raw 18-year-old.

Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, the Frenchman has become a stalwart of Mikel Arteta’s side and has missed just two league games so far this season.

But Saliba, now entering his prime, is only under contract at Arsenal until the summer of 2027, with murmurings that Real Madrid have ambitions of one day bringing the 24-year-old to the Bernabeu.

Only last month, Saliba reaffirmed his ‘love’ for playing in north London, but admitted he was in no rush to sit down and discuss terms on an extension to his current deal.

And Campbell reckons that the Frenchman may well be waiting to see if his own personal ambitions are matched by the club this summer before extending his stay at the Emirates.

‘Where Arsenal are right now, and with where they want to get to, they need to try and pin him down to a new deal sooner rather than later. That’s key,’ Campbell tells Metro ahead of his appearance at bet365’s Big Ticket Giveaway at Potters Field on Saturday.

‘Saliba could well be keeping his options open and waiting to see what players the club bring in in the summer. I think that’s it, really.

‘He’ll assess the type of players that Arsenal bring in and hopefully think, ‘Right, I’ve got some help now up front and in other places’ and be happy to sign a deal.

‘But that’s on Arsenal to make that happen. That’s how you show players and convince them to stay. Watch what we do in the window and then come back and sign.

‘So that’s hopefully what they will do, flex their muscles in the transfer market and prove to him that this is the club to be at.’

In that sense, Arsenal’s impending summer window could take on added importance for Arteta and new sporting director Andrea Berta as they look to find the missing piece in a team which appears destined to finish second for a third successive season.

The club have made no bones about their desire to recruit a natural goalscorer to lead the line, with Alexander Isak, Victor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko just three of the names mooted as potential targets.

But Campbell believes Berta will have to work quickly in his new environment to help Arsenal land that marquee signing ahead of a host of other top clubs who are also in the market for a goalscoring number nine.

‘He’s going to bring a different type of feel. It’s going to unlock some doors that maybe were shut,’ he says of the Italian.

‘Everybody comes with their own book or contacts and relationships in the network of European football so that will bring a new dynamic to Arteta’s team.

‘They’ll have to work together but it will take time. Edu had been at the club before, so Berta has to get his feet under the table but he’s also got to work quickly because it’s a big summer coming up for the club.’

And what of Edu, Campbell’s former teammate under Arsenal Wenger? Have any secrets been divulged about the Brazillian’s surprise departure from the club?

‘He doesn’t want to talk about it too much,’ Campbell says. ‘We’ve chatted but it’s very much still the elephant in the room. I understand he’s got to keep professional – you never know who is listening! He’s done a great job at Arsenal and I’m sure everyone wishes him all the best for the future.’

Berta, meanwhile, is keen to put his own stamp on proceedings, and reports suggest the former Atletico chief has long admired Sporting striker Gyokers.

Could he be a more realistic option than Isak, who is expected to a command a fee well into nine figures? ‘Newcastle are going to want a hell of a lot of money and they don’t need the money,’ Campbell suggests.

‘So that’s the difficult side of it – maybe it will be easier to go after someone like Victor Gyokeres. But for sure they need to take care of the centre-forward position.

‘They need players in other positions as well but they need that vocal point and hit the ground running. The last time they had that properly was Thierry Henry so it’s big shoes to fill. It’s been such a long time so there’s a lot of pressure but also a massive opportunity to make a name for yourself.’

Sol Campbell was speaking on behalf of bet365, an Official Global Partner of the UEFA Champions League, which is hosting an epic Big Ticket Giveaway Game this Saturday 5th April at Potters Fields Park from 4pm, where fans have the chance to win UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final tickets, see the iconic UEFA Champions League trophy and meet Sol himself. Full Terms and Conditions apply. Gamble Responsibly. 18+, gambleaware.org

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