Aaron Ramsdale has urged Arsenal fans not to panic over Bukayo Saka’s commitment to his boyhood club and is confident the Hale End Academy graduate will sign a new contract.
Saka was to the fore again last night as Arsenal avenged their recent defeat at Goodison Park to thrash Everton 4-0 and open up a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.
After a frustrating opening 40 minutes, Saka broke the deadlock with a rasping right-footed shot which tore past his England teammate Jordan Pickford, before harrying Idrissa Gueye into the error that allowed Gabriel Martinelli to double the lead.
While Saka’s short-term focus is centred squarely on helping ensure Arsenal win their first league title in nearly 20 years, his long-term future remains a matter of conjecture with just 18 months left on his current deal.
Arsenal are hopeful of agreeing fresh terms with a player who is said to be of interest to Manchester City and are likely to make Saka one of the best paid players at the club.
Regardless of his contractual situation, however, Ramsdale is confident the England World Cup star will be at the Emirates Stadium for many years to come.
‘I think if he had one week left I wouldn’t be worried about him being here,’ said the Arsenal goalkeeper.
‘If he had until the end of the season I would still see him here on the first day of pre-season. I’m fairly relaxed with Bukayo, let him crack on with his team and the club sort it out and then we move forward.
‘It is obviously not affecting him, that is why he is not rushing into anything and when it does settle, we know we have him for longer than we do at the minute.
‘It will be a boost to the club but as I said he has still got 18 months, two and a half years on his contract anyway, so I think it will be more of a boost for him, knowing the club have a lot of faith in him. Bukayo is an Arsenal player and will be for a long time.’
Ramsdale, meanwhile, revealed that the pain caused by missing out on a top four place last season is inspiring Arsenal to make sure they get the job done this time around.
He added: ‘Obviously I think what’s driving us on as well though is the scars of last year.
‘No one has forgotten about that and what’s happened, so that’s obviously a big driving force in this team.
‘But we have experienced players who have been there and done it at multiple different Premier Leagues, Carabao Cups, FA Cups, European Championships. So we’ve been there and done it – some of the players – and others are 20, 21, 22 playing the best football of their career and carrying this football team forward.’
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