Bukayo Saka leaving Arsenal would be ‘massive failing’ for Edu and Mikel Arteta amid Man City transfer links

Arsenal have been warned it would be a huge failure if they are forced to sell Bukayo Saka.

Man City have been stepping up their interest in the Gunners starlet amid uncertainty over his contract.

Rex

Saka has played 131 times for Arsenal, scoring 23 goals

Saka has 12 months to go on his current deal, with the north London club able to extend that by another year.

He has not yet extended his contract and City are understood to be ready to pounce on the situation.

Losing the 20-year-old would be a blow for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal as he has established himself as major star for both club and country.

Saka featured in every Premier League game last season, scoring 11 times and adding seven assists as the Gunners finished fifth.

But former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan believes Arsenal should not even contemplate allowing him to leave.

He told talkSPORT: “Arsenal should not want to sell players who have come through their youth policy that have been developed under the regime of Arsenal’s mentality, that have come into the first team after all the endeavours of their academies to bring a young player through and then not be able to find some sort of solution to the conundrum of signing a new contract.

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Edu and Arteta will be desperately hoping to keep Saka at Arsenal

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“I know there’s an argument that players in his position will be looking for achievements in clubs and will be sort of dictating to clubs about what they have to do rather than what they have to do.

“It will be a disappointing day at Arsenal if they don’t find the keys to the door to unlock the problem they’ve got with this kid signing a new contract.

“This would be a massive failing on the part of Edu, Arteta and anyone else at Arsenal that controls the direction of travel on this boy’s career. 

“The flip side is that he can control his own destiny, run down his contract and Arsenal will still retain compensation if he does go because he is under 24.

“You’d like to think they could bottom this out and never let it run down to a contract that has no time left on it.

Saka has been Arsenal’s player of the season for the last two years

“He should sign a new contract and they should want him to sign a new contract and find a solution to it.

“The balance of power has shifted towards players and there needs to be a recalibration of that.

“It can’t all be about players like [Kylian] Mbappe who suddenly start running football clubs from who the director of football is to who the manager is.

“We are in that territory, it’s not cool and not great for football.

“Arsenal should not sell him and deal with his contract and lock him down.”

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