Edu has three Arsenal deals to negotiate after new Mikel Arteta contract amid Real Madrid fear

Edu Gaspar has negotiated yet another Arsenal deal but this time it is the continuation of Mikel Arteta’s managerial tenure with the club. He signed a two-year extension to take his current deal through to 2027.

The Brazilian has been busy bringing in five players in the summer, more than both Manchester City and Liverpool combined, and yet has still faced some scrutiny from corners of the fan base for not having done enough. What he cannot be criticised for however is the consistent nature in which new deals for players and the manager are agreed.

However, the work is never-ending and as soon as another contract is signed it appears that work needs to get underway to secure the next. After Arteta, there will indeed be some players that Edu needs to make some decisions on, in collaboration with the Gunners’ boss of course.

Both midfielders Jorginho and Thomas Partey, the former of whom Edu helped agree on a new one-year deal for this summer, will both leave the club in 2025 barring any further renewals of their terms. There has been no indication so far that either will indeed be offered an extension.

The same is the case for Oleksandr Zinchenko and Leandro Trossard whose deals expire in 2026. Zinchenko, 27, is of an age and contract length whereby a decision is usually made at this time. The club do not typically wish to see players in their twenties dip below two years but in the case of the Ukrainian it appears there is a willingness to see that through.

With Trossard, he will be over 30 by the time his contract expires at which point the club have adopted a one-year contract renewal approach and depending on the Belgian’s situation, that looks to be what will happen. There are three players though whose deals currently run through to 2027.

Bukayo Saka is the first and the winger has become the talismanic figure in the team. His last contract extension was seen as a watershed moment as Arsenal continued to progress and Saka remains at the heart of everything but at the end of this season, with two years left on his deal at that point, there will again be pressure to renew again.

Gabriel Magalhaes is currently in talks over a new deal with the club at this early stage. He described his previous extension as the best day of his life and after being included in the PFA Premier League team of the year he has only gained more of a stronger reputation since.

Lastly is William Saliba whose extension through to 2027 was seen as a big coup at the time but also somewhat concerning that it appeared shorter than other extensions at the time. It is hard to shake the idea that Real Madrid may one day come calling for the young defender who is now a Ballon d’Or nominee and regularly included in the best team of the season for his consistency.

While his last contract extension was a big moment, should Arsenal convince him to sign yet another they will have truly proven a lot of people wrong regarding the desire of players to continue. That said, many feel Saka and Saliba in particular will be looking at their chances of major silverware in any future decision.