Arsenal legend Ian Wright has issued a stark warning to the club’s hierarchy, suggesting that top players such as William Saliba could consider leaving if Arsenal fail to make significant signings in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Gunners have finished second to Manchester City in the last two Premier League seasons, and this term, they require a major slip-up from Liverpool to reignite their fading title hopes.
Injuries to key players like Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka left Arsenal struggling for depth, prompting Mikel Arteta to promise reinforcements in the January transfer window.
However, no new signings materialized, and the news of Kai Havertz being sidelined for the rest of the season added to the club’s woes.
A 1-0 loss to West Ham at the Emirates further dented Arsenal’s ambitions, leaving them 11 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool.
Wright: “I Can’t Comprehend Arsenal’s Inactivity”
Speaking on his Wrighty’s House podcast, Wright expressed disbelief over Arsenal’s failure to bring in attacking reinforcements during the injury crisis.
“What really worries me is as the injuries are starting to happen… Saka injury, Jesus injury, we’ve had [Martin] Ødegaard injured.
Everybody has been injured at some stage that we really needed. Saliba has been injured, Gabriel has been injured, Ben White is just coming back,” he said.
“I’m just thinking to myself that when the injuries started to happen, we didn’t do any great business in the summer, we didn’t do any business in January.
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“Are the people upstairs thinking, ‘Let’s not go hard now and wait for the summer’?
Have they accepted that we’re not going to win this league? Because I can’t sit here and think that Mikel is happy right now. He cannot be.”
Wright also voiced concerns that Arsenal might face contract issues similar to those at Liverpool, where stars like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk are keeping their futures uncertain.
Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Saliba are all contracted until 2027, but Real Madrid’s reported interest in Saliba could test Arsenal’s resolve.
“When you’re talking about renewals with certain players… Saka, Gabriel, Saliba… the way they’re moving now, I bet those renewals are all going to be slow,” Wright said.
“If I’m one of these players… and their teams are going to be saying, ‘Let’s wait and see, we’ve got two years left, so let’s wait and see who they get in the summer! I know the manager has signed again but let’s wait and see!'”
A Crucial Summer Ahead for Arsenal
According to Wright, the upcoming transfer window is crucial not only for strengthening the squad but also for retaining the club’s top talents.
“This is what the people upstairs need to be careful of, and I’m sure Mikel will have told them that because he’s probably got the same kind of ambition:
if you’re not going to give me the kind of players I need, I’m not going to be able to keep the players I’ve got here that are our best players, who are now running down their contracts,” he warned.
“This summer and who comes is vitally important to these players. There’s a lot going on right now that needs to be unpacked by these people upstairs and they better get it right. They better get it right.”
With Arsenal’s Champions League ambitions hanging in the balance, the pressure is mounting on the club’s decision-makers to make the right moves this summer both for the present and the future.
