Mikel Arteta remained tight-lipped when asked whether Bukayo Saka’s reported new contract with Arsenal will be finalized soon. On Friday afternoon, reports emerged claiming that Saka had committed his future to the north London outfit on a new five-year contract. The deal will keep him at the Emirates Stadium until the summer of 2031.
Despite the agreement being widely reported a few days ago, the club has yet to officially announce the news. When asked whether an official statement would be released, Arteta remained characteristically cautious. Immediately after Sunday’s FA Cup third-round win over Portsmouth, the Gunners manager faced questions about Saka’s status.
Asked if confirmation was forthcoming, Arteta quickly replied: “If there’s something I want to announce, I’ll announce it.”
Back in September, Arteta was quite frank about his ambitions to secure Saka’s long-term commitment to the club.
At the time he declared:
“As far as I know, he’s a player who’s very happy and proud to be here and to play the role that he has at the football club.
“He’s developing in the natural way he always does. We all know how important Bukayo is to us, so we hope he can do that.”
Meanwhile, Arteta and Saka’s attention has been diverted from boardroom issues and firmly fixed on Fratton Park.
With top-flight football suspended for the world’s oldest cup competition, Arsenal faced the task of defeating Portsmouth and came away with a lopsided victory after an early scare.
Colby Bishop’s superb strike put the home side ahead, but ironically it was Portsmouth who matched the Gunners’ performance. Five minutes later, Arsenal equalized when Andre Dozell curled the ball into his own net.
From that point on, Gabriel Martinelli took center stage.
He put the North Londoners ahead in the 25th minute and added two more goals to complete his first senior hat-trick.
The result kept Arsenal’s hopes alive for four competitions, with the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Chelsea looming next.
