Arsenal FC: William Saliba responds to Real Madrid links after signing new deal with Gunners

Sport | Football

Arsenal: William Saliba responds to Real Madrid links after signing new Gunners contract

The Frenchman has set his sights on silverware after extending his stay in north London

Sticking around: William Saliba

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William Saliba says his head was never turned by Real Madrid because he could not leave Arsenal without winning major trophies.

Saliba has signed a new five-year contract with Arsenal after snubbing interest from Real Madrid.

The defender could have followed in the footsteps of Trent Alexander-Arnold and joined the Spanish giants on a free transfer in under two years.

But Saliba has stressed his heart was always set on staying at Arsenal and lifting silverware with them.

“To be honest, I was not really focused on the clubs from the outside, I was just focused on here,” he said.

“I knew that I wanted to stay here for more years, so I was not really focused on the other clubs. So I’m happy to be here and I signed a new deal, so full focus on my club.

“As you said, he (Alexander-Arnold) won some titles with Liverpool. Me, I didn’t win anything here except the Community Shield.

“I’ve done nothing for this club to think about leaving. I want to stay here and win a lot of trophies. I love this club. I cannot leave this club without giving them (the fans) something back. My first choice was to stay here and win everything first.”

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“We have a good team, we play well, we are good. We only miss trophies. The team and I will give everything to win this title.

“Of course, the people won’t remember you if you win nothing. So, at the end, it's trophies, trophies, trophies.”

Saliba has become a regular for Arsenal, but he endured a difficult spell when he first joined the club.

The Frenchman was loaned out on three different occasions and he has revealed his fear that he may never make it in north London.

“When I arrived in 2020 and I didn’t play for six months, then I went on loan, of course sometimes you have some doubts,” he said.

“You say: ‘Yeah, maybe I will never play for this club’. But at the end I told myself that I cannot leave this club without playing.

“I didn’t give up, I went on loan, I played games, I came back here and I started almost every game.

“So, yeah, I’m so proud of myself. That means that you must never give up. That’s what I did and I’m proud of myself.

“We say, if the club sends you on loan a lot, maybe they don’t need you. But at the end, it’s football. Sometimes you have good moments, sometimes you have bad moments like this.

“And you have to be strong in your head and always believe in yourself. And that’s what I did.

“Even in the bad moments, I kept believing in myself. And when I came back, I had some chances to play and I played well.”

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