Arsenal defender William Saliba has signed a new contract.
The 22-year-old centre-back has agreed a long-term deal with Arsenal after an outstanding debut Premier League season.
“Honestly the decision was easy,” Saliba told the club's official website. "I had a really good season last season, but unfortunately I didn't finish it because of injury. So I want more. I want to play more years for this amazing club. I didn't achieve anything yet, so I want to win everything with this club.”
“I think we can achieve everything. Of course, it's easy to say this, but we have the coach, we have the character, we have the players and every year the team gets stronger. We have better players with a good mentality. We have a good experience from the last season as well. We know that the season is so long. So we are confident and we know we can do something good at this club.”
💬 “I think we can achieve everything. We have the coach, we have the character, we have the players and every year the team gets stronger.”
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 7, 2023
📺 Wilo talks through his decision to sign a new contract and his ambitions with us 👇
Mikel Arteta added: “To have William extend his contract with us was something we have wanted to do for a long time. William proved last season just how good and how important he is to our squad.
“The ability he has at his young age of just 22 is exciting, and there is of course so much more room for development with any player at this stage of their career."
New shirt number
Saliba has also been given a new shirt number for the new season, changing from No 12 to No 2.
He is the second player in 24 hours to commit his long-term future to Arsenal, after Reiss Nelson did so on Thursday.
The Frenchman initially signed for Arsenal in July 2019 but spent seasons on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
He returned to Emirates Stadium ahead of 2022/23 and made 27 Premier League appearances, scoring two goals and contributing to 11 clean sheets.
Saliba was key as Arsenal finished second and secured qualification for the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League after six successive seasons finishing out of the Premier League's top four.
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An injury cut his campaign short but he will hope to be fully fit as Arsenal start their Premier League season at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday 12 August.
