It’s amazing what one game of football can do to the atmosphere around a club, and Arsenal have been the perfect example of that this week.
Mikel Arteta’s side have endured a rather torrid domestic campaign this year, and following their 1-1 draw with Everton on the weekend, the mood wasn’t great.
However, since the full-time whistle was blown on Tuesday night after the Gunners had taken Real Madrid to pieces in the Champions League, spirits have been as high as they’ve been in years.
Unfortunately, football has a cruel way of bringing fans back down, and based on reports, the Spanish giants are now looking to sign one of the North Londoners’ stars from that game, in a move that would be reminiscent of Cesc Fàbregas’ move to Barcelona.
Arsenal transfer news
While there are plenty of links for players who might join Arsenal this summer, there are also several players who look set to leave or, in the case of Kieran Tierney, will be leaving.
The Scottish international signed a pre-contract agreement with former club Celtic earlier this year and, therefore, will leave six years after moving to the Emirates in a £25m deal from the Glaswegian giants.
Two other stars who aren’t confirmed to be leaving but look increasingly like they will be are Thomas Partey and Jorginho, as their contracts expire on June 30th.
However, while both are important players, the former slightly more than the latter, they aren’t necessarily irreplaceable, which is something that could be said about William Saliba.
In news no Arsenal fan will want to hear, recent reports from Spain have claimed that Real Madrid are now more committed than ever to signing the French superstar.
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The report has revealed that following his team’s demolition at the Emirates, Real president Florentino Perez ‘returned from London with one fixed idea: William Saliba must wear white.’
The story claims that it’ll be a tough deal to get done, but it might be feasible for around £86m.
While that is a lot of money for a defender, this is a transfer Arsenal have to fight to stop, as Saliba leaving will feel eerily similar to Fabregas’ exit in 2011.
Why Saliba's exit would be a Fabregas repeat
So, the first thing to point out is the fact that, yes, Saliba and Fabregas are completely different footballers who play in entirely different positions, but should this transfer happen, there would be some undeniable similarities to the Spaniard’s in 2011.
The first is the simple fact that it would be another example of one of Spain’s big two teams coming and taking a player from the Gunners, with Barcelona being the offenders last time and Los Blancos doing it this time.
Second of all, they’d also be pinching one of the Gunners’ best young-ish players before they hit their peak, as when he moved to Barcelona, the 2010 World Cup winner was just 24 years old, and according to research carried out by The Athletic, central midfielders do not hit their peak until 25.
In this instance, the Bondy-born “monster,” as dubbed by content creator Connor Humm, is also just 24, and per that same research, centre-backs reach their peak at about 27.
Finally, the last and potentially most significant similarity should this transfer happen is the fact that Arsenal will be losing one of their most important players.
Appearances
29
8
4
1
Starts
29
8
3
1
Minutes
2546′
720′
315′
120′
Points per Game
2.07
2.38
1.50
0.00
Goals
2
0
0
0
Assists
0
0
0
0
When he returned to Catalonia in 2011, the former Gunners’ star was the club captain and absolutely pivotal to how the team played, and while the Frenchman is not the current captain, he’s just as important.
For example, this season alone, the “phenomenal” defender, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has made 42 appearances across all competitions, of which 41 have been starts.
Ultimately, while it would bring in a lot of money, Arsenal cannot sell Saliba this summer, as, like in the case of Fabregas, they will not find a like-for-like replacement anytime soon.
