Mikel Arteta insists William Saliba is ‘so happy’ at Arsenal after the defender was linked with a transfer to Real Madrid this week.
Spanish newspaper Marca reported this week that Saliba is Madrid’s top defensive target for the summer transfer window and an initial approach has already been made by the Champions League holders.
Saliba will enter the final two years of his contract at the end of the season and Arsenal are keen for the 24-year-old to sign a new deal.
Arteta, meanwhile, says he is ‘quite confident’ that Saliba will not be pushing to leave Arsenal.
When asked about Saliba’s latest link with Madrid, Arteta replied: ‘Those kind of things are more for Andrea and the club to talk about.
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‘What I’m certain, because I had the conversation with him, is that he is so happy here, that he wants to continue with us and what will happen in the future with our negotiations and things that have to take time and process and be on top of them.
‘But I’m quite confident that William is very happy here and that’s the place that he wants to be.’
Meanwhile, Arteta claims ‘nobody should be surprised’ by Liverpool’s Premier League title success this season and says Arne Slot’s side, who are 15 points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table, are ‘deserved’ champions.
‘It’s good they had no distraction,’ Arteta said of Liverpool.
‘The good thing is they had them on the pitch all the time, which is something very positive. And it’s a club, in the last 10, 15 years they’ve been consistent, they’re fighting for trophies, winning big trophies, winning the Champions League. So they’re used to that.
‘Nobody should be surprised because they have the level and they made it because they’ve done a lot of things very, very well. So they deserve to be champions.’
Asked if Arsenal will use Liverpool’s title celebrations as motivation, Arteta replied: ‘No, at the end they are your colleagues as well and I know some of the people on the staff as well and I know how much work everybody puts in.
‘And listen, they deserve to win it, they’ve done it in a manner, in a way that has given no chance to the others and you have to congratulate that.
‘It’s sport as well and you have to accept the reasons why you haven’t been able to achieve it and try to improve, that’s it.
‘It can be part of your motivation, that’s not the biggest part, my motivations are much more focused in other aspects than that one but it hurts to watch it, that’s for sure.’
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