Noel Whelan has urged Bukayo Saka to hold off on signing a new Arsenal contract until the end of the season when he can evaluate where the club finishes the campaign on the league table.
The attacker is arguably Arsenal’s best player right now, and he has not extended the deal he signed with the club since 2020.
He is also one of the lowest earners in the squad and deserves an urgent salary upgrade to keep him happy at the club for much longer.
The Gunners will want to tie him down to a new deal soon to avoid losing him to a rival, but former Leeds United man, Whelan says Saka does not need to hurry and sign a new Gunners deal.
He claims the attacker should hold on and see if they can finish in the Champions League places because a top player like him should be in that competition.
He tells Football Insider: “Right now, if I was Saka, I’d be holding out on the contract I’ve already got.
“I’d be seeing if we are in the Champions League and then having discussions with the manager.
“Champions League football, for me, is huge, especially when someone’s playing at the top of the game. Someone that’s so important, someone so young.
“For me, playing the way he’s playing, I wouldn’t be thinking about another contract just yet. I’d be thinking of doing my very best for Arsenal.
“If we get in the Champions League, that’s where I want to play, then contract negotiations can start.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Saka has just broken through at Arsenal, even though it seems he has been around for years.
He is at the start of his career and should not change clubs so quickly, because it could affect his development.