“That is a great way of keeping players” - Tony Cascarino outlines what Arsenal must do to keep William Saliba amid Real Madrid speculation 

Amid their defensive issues, Real Madrid have reportedly identified Arsenal star William Saliba as a potential target for the upcoming season. Former Chelsea forward Tony Cascarino suggested that there is only one way for the Gunners to prevent Saliba from joining Los Blancos.

Carlo Ancelotti has been short on defensive options this season, largely due to a series of injury setbacks. David Alaba is not expected to return until January 2025, while Eder Militao has dealt with recurring injuries. Additionally, Dani Carvajal has sustained a season-ending knee injury. This has prompted Ancelotti to use Aurelien Tchouameni at center-back and Lucas Vazquez and potentially Federico Valverde as right-backs.

Securing defensive reinforcements, particularly center-backs will undoubtedly be a top priority for Real Madrid. They had even attempted to sign Leny Yoro this summer, but the deal fell through when Manchester United swooped in.

Consequently, several defenders have been linked with Real Madrid recently, but Saliba is a standout name. The 23-year-old Frenchman is already regarded as one of the Premier League’s best players. He has been instrumental in Arsenal’s transformation from a top-four contender to a title challengers in the last two seasons.

However, Arsenal have recently fallen short of winning the Premier League, finishing five points behind Manchester City two seasons ago and just two points behind last season. They haven’t won a major trophy since 2020, and Cascarino believes winning silverware is key to keeping Saliba happy at the club.

"There are vultures in football hanging over football clubs all the time and trying to take their best players. There’s no bigger vulture than Real Madrid – if they’re after you then there’s a good chance of it happening. It’s not only convincing the player, but the agents get involved and the lure of Real Madrid. Look, winning and being successful is a great way of keeping players, it really is," he told TalkSPORT (via Tribal Football)

Cascarino further remarked that Saliba is already playing like a “Real Madrid player". He emphasized that Mikel Arteta’s team must consistently compete for the world’s biggest honors to keep hold of their top talents.

"Arsenal have to achieve that because Saliba is playing to the level of being a Real Madrid player, but he’s got to be convinced that Arsenal are going to be a successful and winning team. They need to be challenging to win the Champions League because that’s what Real Madrid do so often,” he added.

Real Madrid have also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah. However, Saliba is certainly a name that will tempt Florentino Perez, given his quality at just 23.

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Arsenal’s position on William Saliba’s potential move to Real Madrid revealed

Arsenal have always regarded Saliba as one of their key players, not only for the present but also for the future. In fact, the French defender signed a new four-year contract just last year and is thriving in Mikel Arteta’s young Gunners side.

According to the Express, Arsenal are not particularly worried about Real Madrid’s interest and are confident that Saliba will remain at the club for upcoming seasons. This is certainly not surprising, considering that Arteta has played a pivotal role in his development.

Saliba has helped the Gunners keep 32 clean sheets in 72 Premier League games since joining the club. Three of them have come in seven games this season. Meanwhile, Arsenal are currently one of only two unbeaten teams in the Premier League. They sit in third place, just one point behind league leaders Liverpool.