invisibleman18 I'd say it probably means all that stuff's agreed and it's assumed that it'll be signed, but it's a long, complex contract that's being carefully vetted by lots of lawyers, who will want to look at the detail of how each agreed provision has been set up.
Saka
Hope he's practicing that di Maria curler. Well capable.
Burnwinter yeah that's my interpretation too. Basically lawyers on both sides want to take ages to pull it apart and go backwards and forwards so they can make a bunch more money for themselves.
I'm probably missing someone, but ... when was the last time Arsenal had a couple of players of Saka and Martinelli's calibre, both already playing at a very high level and only just entering their prime, sign long term contracts?
No offence to the "British core", but these kids are on a new level.
To me, Saka has the stature of Cesc when he was engineering his move to Barcelona. He's conservatively worth £80m or so. Any club in Europe would want him. But unlike Cesc, Saka's Hale End: all Arsenal DNA. Saka's mentality and quality are in the very top echelon. It's a landmark if he commits to Arsenal.
I don't necessarily think they're on a different level than Wilshere/Ramsey. Sure, it didn't work out, but they were incredible before it all turned sideways.
- Edited
I feel they are next level—not in terms of raw talent, but the rest. And that's what's encouraging.
Compare Saka to Wilshere: the question's not so much whether Saka will play for England or be fit, it's whether he'll win the match for England. That could change, but in terms of consistency, tactical nous, and fitness Saka seems far ahead. It's what makes him signing this (
) so exciting.
Seems to me this generation is also getting a better tactical and technical education, and better support with their physical and psychological development. In effect we're reaping the benefit of the club's good work in this area starting more than a decade ago.
Fantastic news. Best winger in the world.
KingslandBarge Release clause? We’re Arsenal mate.
He is still 21, amazing player. My fav Arsenal player by far
£200k is very reasonable terms as well when you consider the likes of Sancho are on £350k a week.
goon if Saka chooses to leave money on the table, that's on him. He is worth whatever the market is willing to pay. Might not look like value on our end, but if others are making those types of offers to players of his caliber (or less) then we need to be ready to make similar commitments if that's what the kid insists on. We are just fortunate he came through our system, and is a decent kid.
JazzG It's going to look not just good but like an absolute steal within a couple of years, you'd think.
flobaba We are just fortunate he came through our system
Yeah, but the key to these moments is for these Hale End boys to feel like they're fortunate they came through our system. The warm fuzzy aspect at the moment is that a few of them do seem to feel that way.
Nevermind release clauses, where are we gonna put his statue when he retires?
Qwiss funny, I had the same thought yesterday. I take the above point about Wilshere, but this kid is well on his way to being the greatest we've produced out of our academy. He's literally got everything.
He's already only five games off Jack's total for the club too.
Burnwinter -- Saka is clearly ahead of the rest, but I think Ramsey on his day (even across a few seasons) had a far larger impact than Martinelli (or Wilshere). At his best he was a match winner through and through who also contributed more defensively than Saka, Martinelli, or Wilshere.
Qwiss there's another stadium not far from ours that serves basically no purpose...
Any one that understands football wouldn't find it difficult to see that Saka is levels and levels above Rashford.
Saka is already elite, and there is only direction he's going from here. Barring bad injuries, he's destined for the very top. Rashford is a decent to good player on a hot streak.
5 days later