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Ian Wright says Arsenal need to be ‘careful’ as Real Madrid could pinch their £27m player

Charles Jones

Wed 26 February 2025 10:45, UK

Arsenal are in a very strange situation at the moment.

Barring a minor miracle🍌, it looks like the Gunners won’t be winning the league title this season, and they look set for their third-conꦚsecutive year in that second-place spot.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
2	ArsenalArsenal	26	15	8	3	51	23	28	53

In that time, Arsenal also haven’t won any other major silverware.

Arsenal are getting a reputation as nearly men, and, often, when t🧔hat happens, playe⛎rs start to question their futures.

Indeed, Harry Kane left Tottenham after years of falling short when chasing big trophies, while Arsenal have been here before with 🌱Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas leaving for similar reasons.

Some of Arsenal’s current star players may be in a similar position right now, and speaking on the Wrighty’s House Podcast, Ian Wright has shared worries that William Saliba may be in that sort of position soon.

William Saliba could get Real Madrid move

Wright urged Arsenal to be caref✱ul with William Saliba.

Saliba is the best defender in the world according to some, and Real Madrid have been linked with Saliba recently.

Wright believes that Mad▨rid could come in for the d🌼efender and that Arsenal need to make some big signings to convince the man to stick with the project.

“Let’s wait and see who they get in the summer. Let’s wait and see🔯. I know the manager’s signed again, but let’s wait and see because if they’re not going to get the kind of players that’s going to take us to the next step, and there’s people like, look at Saliba. Real Madrid will take him tomorrow.

“Why would he not wait and see what’s going on inไ the summer to see the kind of players and the calibre of player we’re signing? Because this is what I think the people upstairs need to be careful of.”

Arseanl stars who left for La Liga

Wright is spot on, one of th♉e big boꦏys could come in for Saliba, and Arsenal know that only too well.

Indeed, while Real Madrid don’t often come in for Arsenal’s stꦉar players, over the years, their El Classico rivals, Ba📖rcelona, have made a habit of pinching some of Arsenal’s best players.

Barcelona went on a real spree of signing Arsenal’s top stars at one poi😼nt, while Madrid also took Nicola✨s Anelka from the Gunners back in the day.

The lure of La Liga will be there for a lot of players due to how historic and huge Barcelona and Real Madrid are as footballing institutions, and Saliba🔯 may well be tempted to make that move as well.

Of course, Arsenal do still have time to turn things around, the title race looks to be over, but the Champions League is stillꦛ up for grabs, and, as Wright says, 🅰an ambitious summer transfer window could send a message to their top stars.

Arsenal want Alexander Isak this summer, and perhaps that’s the type of signing that would c💃onvince a player l♉ike Saliba to stay.