Arsenal prioritises new deal for Bukayo Saka

Arsenal are in a hurry to secure Bukayo Saka to a new contract, according to David Ornstein’s latest column for The Athletic.

The 18-year-old has been a breakthrough star this season, filling in effectively at left-back and leads the club’s assist charts with eight to his name so far.

He added another in the 4-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday, nutmegging Valentino Lazaro before squaring the ball to Nicolas Pepe to score.

Reportedly Huss Fahmy is leading the negotiations for a well-deserved new deal – with Saka currently on a small wage from the first professional contract he signed back in September 2018.

That he has just 18 months left on that deal means there’s an element of urgency to the situation. His performances will have made plenty of clubs take notice, but hopefully being part of that group of Hale End graduates – along with Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock – will be a major driver for him to put pen to paper with Arsenal.

Saka’s performance drew praise from Mikel Arteta afterwards, who said, “He takes responsibility, he takes risks in the final third. He is a player who wants to make an impact, he has courage.”

He also has the faith of the manager, who started him over the more experienced Sead Kolasinac.