Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts has raised concerns over the futures of Bukayo Saka and some of his Gunners teammates with the club in danger of missing out on Champions League football.
Mikel Arteta’s side need nothing short of a miracle to make it into the top four having thrown away their advantage over rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
They were beaten 3-0 by their north London rivals last Thursday before falling to a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday after they were overtaken by Spurs over the weekend.
Antonio Conte’s men hold a two-point lead over Arsenal heading into the final round of fixtures and head to bottom-of-the-table Norwich City with the Gunners needing Spurs to lose and hope that they themselves beat Everton.
The recent developments have led to speculation surrounding some of the up-and-coming stars at the Emirates Stadium and Watts has chimed in on the debate.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “I would say this is my biggest worry – it’s getting some of the best young talented players to sign up to new contracts without Champions League football.
“I do think out of all the potential impacts of missing out on the Champions League, the biggest one could well be these contract talks.
“It’s certainly not going to make it easier, put it that way, but fingers crossed, hopefully, it will all still be sorted, Saka will sign long-term and we can all sort of rest easy a little bit, because one player Arsenal do not want to lose is Bukayo Saka.”
TIF Thoughts on Saka and Arsenal…
With the 20-year-old’s current contract up in 2024, one would have expected Edu and his officials to sit down and discuss fresh terms, but the lack of Champions League football could prove a complication.
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Back in February, ESPN reporter Mark Ogden revealed that both the Premier League’s top two, Liverpool and Manchester City, were keeping tabs on the winger ahead of a potential bid should Arsenal miss out on the top four.
No update has emerged, but with 23 goals and 28 assists in 130 appearances to date, the £58.5m-rated ace isn’t going to be short of suitors.
In other news: ‘I’m told…’ – Fabrizio Romano reveals big Aaron Hickey update at Arsenal