William Saliba chooses between Arsenal and Tottenham but still issues to resolve

It appears that William Saliba has made his decision with regards to which team he would prefer to play for out of Arsenal and Tottenham.

This conversation took place on Twitter with two credible sources cited.

But it is clear there are repercussions from Tottenham entering the race at the last minute following Arsenal’s earlier messing around.

Basically, St Etienne is now demanding a larger fee and why wouldn’t they?

They are obviously being greedy but at the same time clever, they are fully aware they can squeeze a little extra out of this now as the ball is firmly in their court.

Because Saliba has already agreed to remain with the Ligue 1 outfit it means that St Etienne can play hardball, that would change if the 18-year-old turned around and said he wants to leave right now but there are no signs of that.

This is not the most popular deal as it is and the time is ripe for Arsenal to play hardball because of Saliba’s preference for them.

If the club stands firm and says this is our final offer take it or leave and Saliba does want to become a Gunner would St Etienne really try and force a move to Tottenham against the players wishes for an extra million or so?

That would seriously alienate the youngster and would be a risky game to play.

This one is far from over but the signs are good that Arsenal will win the battle providing their next move is carefully thought out and executed.

37 Comments

  1. Something tells me that, if all this is true, the scum have only entered the race to raise the price of the player and affect the Arsenal transfer dealings in that way. If so, wise move, Levy.

      1. spuds coming for Saliba was all about us scampering their ceballos deal. now looks like we’ll have both ceballos and saliba….how you like us now b**ches

    1. Yeah, I’m sure Levy has done this before!

      We should just do the same back!!!!

      If St. Etienne are going to get difficult and bumb the price up too mush I would say forget it. It’s not like we have him for the upcoming season..

      Then, lets see if Levy is still interested?

  2. If Saliba wants to be a part of the most popular football brand in London, he should have pushed for the move

    Suppose he chooses us, we still have to look for another CB, due to our CBs’ situations

    Unless Medley can step up and he seemed to play quite well in the US. Mavropanos still has to overcome his injury problems and he needs to improve his defending against strong striker like Benteke

    1. I somehow miss Arsene Wenger in these situations.

      Zaha, Saliba, Tierney ? Over a fvcking phone call would’ve been at the London Colney for the medicals.

      Arsenal was a much more attractive destination when Wenger was in charge. We signed Auba, Laca, Ozil (proven players) when we were struggling too.

      1. He failed to bring Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe though

        I don’t think Arsenal would be a more attractive destination with Wenger, because he failed in his last two seasons

        1. But did you think he’d struggle with most of the names being touted as possible targets this season? I mean look at the Saliba deal dragging on and on for weeks…

          If AW was here by now we could have seen Saliba try and force the move or come out with a statement like “its has always been my dream to play for Arsenal” something like that.

          This is Saliba from Saint ettiene to Arsenal. A supposedly big step up for the player coming to AFC but yet we struggle

      2. The same Wenger that signed Kallstom when we had a really good shot at the title? Or Ozil when we already had Santi, Rosicky, and Ramsey for the same position? Wenger had been awful with signings so long.

        1. Arsene Wenger has often stated how many ultimately high class players, he either identified or was advised of by scouts, who he failed to sign. The list would fill a book.

      3. He also kolscieny,mertesacher, kolo toure, Sol Campbell, Flamini and a host of great players.

  3. 85,000 have signed the Azaav petition against the Kroenke ownership. That’s amazing. Kroenke is a parasite.

  4. Saliba is the only target that excites me this window. He’s got the ability to become the best in that position. Hope we get him, even if it means loaning him back for the season.

    1. Fox sports have anounced today that apparently arsenal have sent their doctors to Brazil to check on Everton,I don’t know how true that is??

      1. media always makes thing seem more advanced than they actully are. I bet it has only been talks at the moment.

  5. I agree with Townie, stop trying to be clever and just get the bloke for god’s sake.

  6. What surprises me is the fact that Arsenal have a very poor and ineffective scouting network. With the way we ended the season, we as a club should have identified at least two center backs who will walk straight into the team with much hassle, haggling or publicity. Manu did it with Nemanja Vidic (£7million), Chelsea with Cesar Azpelicueta, Ivanovic, Rudiger etc.
    After Thomas Vermaelen left Ajax to Arsenal. Vertoghen became the captain, then when he was leaving, the captain became Toby Aldeleireld. It’s funny how Arsenal didn’t even consider either of them considering how famed their academy was. They form the backbone of Spurs defence today and another from Ajax again, Davidson Sanchez. Jiminez of Athletico Madrid replaced Miranda without any fuss. It’s so impossible to say you can’t get a center back of £20 million who will come to Arsenal and improve us immediately. But you need to know how to search for this players. Arsenal are terrible with that. I don’t know what our scouts does.

    1. You have an excellent point.

      Arsenal selects scouts based on their relationship with the club not on their results as scouts.

      No results for 2 years? Sack them and replace with a new one instead of the current lifetime-of-failure system.

    2. Sultan, in actual fact The Arsenal went after Vertonghen, but he chose the spuds before us.
      It was well documented at the time and I believe Vet said that he would join us if the spud deal broke down.

  7. Saliba is an incredible talent but
    if his price tag continues to rise
    why wouldn’t Arsenal test the resolve
    of both RB Leipzig and Bayern L with
    £40M bids for D. Upamecano and J.
    Tah? Both are WC (IMHO) CB’s that
    would walk into the Arsenal back
    line THIS SEASON!! If the club is
    looking for a young, precocious
    talent at CB, similiar, yet cheaper
    than Saliba they could turn there
    attention to B. Kamara from
    Marseille. Would be a steal @ £20M

    A little OT but I just spent a few
    minutes watching F Kessie’s YT (I
    Know, I know lol) highlights for
    this past season and well he is
    EXACTLY what Arsenal need in the
    middle of thd pitch. Has all the
    physical and techical attributes to
    be an absolute midfield MONSTER for
    years to come.

    1. ACE.

      I watch alot of Seria A and I have been watching AFCON Kessie is no better than Elneny mate. Slow, predictable, does not contribute much going forward. Him and Bakayoko must have formed part of the worst midfield for AC Milan.

      A this moment Arsenal should be looking for players that will walk straight into the first 11 and not players that cant displace Xhaka, Lucas or even Gwendouzi.

      1. Respect your opinion PP but I
        couldnt disagree more. I to
        watch Siere A and Kessie has
        always impressed me with his
        style of play. I concede he is
        far from the finished product
        but MILES AND MILES ahead of both
        Xhaka and Guendouzi.

      2. Spot on mate,have watched him play a couple of Seria A games and I’ve always rated Kessie as an average player who is not ready to improve his game by one inch. Arsenal should be going for players who will bring in healthy competition into the first team by displacing those who feel too comfortable, I mean you can’t be playing rubbish for a whole month and still be making the first team when you have a strong contender for your position. Overmars comment on Ozil/Ziyech transfer might sound disrespectful but there is no better way to put it.

  8. He will have more chances to play with Arsenal because Spurs have better defenders

    We also tend to overpay are players lol

    Also, maybe Spurs are just bidding to raise the price. I remember when we bought Ozil on the final day, Levy was on the phone to Madrid president begging not to sell Ozil to us. Slimeball

  9. I have read in l’équipe that we are going to miss out on Nabil Fekir because we can’t offload Mezul Ozil,je has been offered to us at a cut price,this could be true due to his very close relationship with Lacazette going back to their days at Lyon,how sad!

  10. We in this position for making a 15M bid when 22M were closing deal. Now we need 30M at least. Sae for Celtic kid. Zaha is a total joke, for Malcom we want 2 years Loan with option at 35M.

    Clubs all need money and put it to but players. Look at Westham, 13th place, buying Haller for 40M.

    WE cant buy nor sale or keep players beside Ozil we paid outrageous wage to not dee him leave with Sanchez.

    Can’t sell him now, nor anyone…Arsenal moving to Emirates a stadium twice bigger, for bigger things & chaptes of our growing legacy.

    On the end, they tricked Wenger and all of us, he took the blow for years, keeping us top4 was a miracle for years!

    Now we all Can see what Wenger had to take but dont think we even thought about it for most of us.

    The bigger stadium meant bigger incomes (Tickets, TV, sponsors), but nothing for the club and fans; all profit going to owners, not investing Big as supposed to and promised to Wenger even with stadium bought for, couldnt get Kanté or Suarez cuz cheap as well do with Saliba and all players; both ready to come,we missed them, short for 5 to 10 millions on a bet!

    Only way to change things is to not purchase tickets nor shirts. Most of us blamed Wenger as you do Kos today.

    I wish hé leaves, no respect after all these years, Kos could have gone to Barça, Bayern but stayed, so does Wenger chased by top clubs before the board ruined his legacy with fans with awful banners!

    In a minute, soon you will all say, da hell with Arsenal as Kos because it is no more Arsenal, it is no football but business people, running and ruining Arsenal.

    WE had a manager who passed Alex Fergusson record on the bench, the DNA of this club for two decades, and we kick him out with banners for last game because of board he had to take and manage to keep us top 4, because he loved Arsenal and gave all for us, fans first.

    These awful signs helped owners to let him go. Save more money and to be faced; co Emery desperate for a spot. 45M budget and he shuts up, happy to be on a Big club Wenger built.

    Kos should leave, not take a lower rate and more BS transfer Windows with Fake promises each year.

    WE need Koulibaly and then Kos stays. But it wont happen as well know, so hé should go. Ozil wont bé hère without confortable wage and life in London. He is right, he hits owners’ wallets only not us, nothing there for us but make these greedy ones rich

  11. Doubt anyone tricked Wenger into anything. He was amazing for us and set quite the tone, but he’s far from perfect.

    Secondly he wasn’t “kicked out with banners from last game.” He was sacked because he didn’t meet clubs expectation of CL qualifying his last 2 years.

    Rightly or wrongly he’s gone from the club. I’m grateful for all he brought to our club, and how he changed the English game forever.

    I have my criticisms of him as well, but it serves no purpose to rehash his faults. Let’s respect his achievements, but not pretend he could save us when he couldn’t save himself the last 2 years.

    Lastly regarding Kos, Wenger preferred a rolling 1 yr deal for players over 30; no exceptions for Kos. Possible Wenger would have paid him more up front, but not a 3 yr deal.

    If Kos unhappy, then buy out contract and move on. Have the new club reimburse him as PSG did for Neymar.

    1. Durand, agree once again with your post, well nearly all of it old friend!!!
      Not really worth haggling over a sacking or resignation is it???
      The phrase “couldn’t save himself the last two years” was a very telling statement and couldn’t have put it better myself.

      Is the rolling 1 year deal still in force though, I seem to remeber someone saying it had been withdrawn, when the new regime stated that every player would be offered a contract two years before their current one ran out OR put on the tranfer list?

      Mongunna, great post with some thought provoking statements, but as a self confessed AW nut, I don’t think anyone could or would have tricked him into anything…he was too blooming clever for that!!

      1. Honestly Ken I have no idea regarding new contract structure. My best guess is this:

        Club stance on 2 yrs left and resign or sell player

        If value to be had, they don’t want to lose a fee like with Ramsey going on free. So either he’s resigned or sold.

        Kos on other hand, best years behind him, and with his achilles situation it’s ridiculous to offer his current salary or raise and he can’t play as many games.

        Hopefully a fee around £3 million or so to appease all sides, b/c both seem to be dug in.

        Lastly, tired of people with all the Wenger this, Wenger that, the bellyaching from both sides has become quite stale.

        He’s not our manager anymore, so hope we can let the man be. Personally I say thanks Arsene and choose to remember him fondly now, rather than dig up past grievances, as this doesn’t help club but only soothes egos.

        Thats my feelings and my choice, others are free to theirs.

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