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It is no secret that Real Madrid are huge fans of William Saliba and with reports that they are ready to pounce on a potential move emerging over the past few days, the worrying possibility of him leaving Arsenal has grown that bit more likely.
The Frenchman has spent six years in North London and after several loan moves back to his homeland of France, he broke into the Gunners first team in 2022 and has not looked back since. He has helped his side challenge convincingly for the Premier League title in two seasons and has forged a world-class defensive partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.
Saliba is yet to win a trophy with Arsenal, but there is a growing feeling that major silverware is close to heading to N5 and he can play a huge part in any potential success. However, with the European giants that are Real Madrid sniffing around and only two years remaining on his Gunners deal, he could be tempted to bid farewell to North London in favour of a move to sunny Spain.
The defender has always been clear about his love for the Gunners, but that would not prevent him from leaving. Madrid have already shown they are capable of prying players away from their boyhood clubs, with Trent Alexander-Arnold set to be the latest to head to the Spanish capital. Arsenal could have a big task in convincing Saliba to stay, but they must not let him leave this summer.
Arsenal must not let William Saliba leave this summer
Since first being brought into the Arsenal defence ahead of the 2022-23 season, William Saliba has become a crucial part of Mikel Arteta's side and has proven himself to be one of the club's most valuable assets.
He has played a huge role in transforming the Gunners from top-four challengers to genuine Premier League title contenders and him leaving in the summer would leave a tremendous hole in both the defence and team.
Arteta is so close to completing his perfect team with a striker top of the club's transfer agenda heading into the summer. Once a prolific signing is brought to North London, Arsenal will be capable of mounting a serious and consistent title charge. However, the possibility of losing Saliba would be a huge disruption to that plan and would mean the club hierarchy will have a great challenge in finding a suitable replacement.
The French international is one of the best defenders in the world and, despite making the occasional mistake, will continue to be for a long time. The Gunners would find it incredibly difficult to bring in another centre back that would be of the same calibre to Saliba.
The formidable partnership he has forged with Gabriel Magalhaes has seen Arsenal evolve into arguably the best defensive team in England. In 115 games in which the pair have appeared together, the team have conceded 98 goals, 0.85 goals let in per match. It is hard to think that any other defender would be able to achieve that level of brilliance and solidity alongside Gabriel.
Arsenal simply can not afford to lose William Saliba this summer. His crucial position within the team means he would be far too difficult to replace and with Arteta's dream team so close to being complete, it would be a huge knock to lose such a significant name.
With the Frenchman rumoured to have held talks with Real Madrid, the Gunners may have to open negotiations regarding a new contract but must do what ever is necessary to keep him at the club. Arsenal have managed to keep some of the greatest defenders in Premier League history, such as Tony Adams and Sol Campbell, in the red half of North London for lengthy spells and there is no reason they can't do the same with Saliba.