3 key talking points from Bukayo Saka’s contract extension

After three months of waiting, Arsenal finally announced the long-drawn-out contract extension of Bukayo Saka today.

David Ornstein first broke the news in February that a verbal agreement had taken place, and a signature was all that was left to do to secure the future of Arsenal’s star boy.

With ink on paper and the official announcement out there for everyone, fans can relax knowing that Bukayo Saka will continue at Arsenal for the foreseeable future, but the deal isn’t without its taking points.

3 key talking points regarding Bukayo Saka’s new contract

1. Wages

Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail reported last month that Bukayo Saka’s new contract with Arsenal will see him earn almost £15m a season including bonuses and other payments, but his base wage would be £10m per season.

Most outlets have clung to the top-end figure, reporting that Saka will take home £290-300k per week. While he may do this some weeks, it will hinge on him hitting several performance-related clauses, as his base salary will be closer to £192k per week.

This number sounds astronomical, and it is, in real-world terms, however, the top end of his weekly wage puts him level with Kalidou Koulibaly, the 10th highest earner in the league, and few would argue that he sits outside the Premier League’s top 10 players.

For Arsenal, this is a whopping wage, but Saka has been the club’s best player for the last three seasons and has become the face of the new identity at the club; if they do not pay him the wage to go with his status, there will be ten other clubs queuing up to do so.

Arsenal are dealing with a superstar, and fans need to embrace it, not complain about the cost.

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