Arsenal must prove they can win football’s biggest prizes if they want to keep William Saliba at the club.
The French star is considered one of the best defenders in world football and is considered a top transfer target for Real Madrid next summer.
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With Antonio Rüdiger, Eder Militao and David Alaba at the club, Carlo Ancelotti is keen to add a younger option to his ranks who can be a defensive mainstay in the coming years.
Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, Saliba was one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers in a Gunners side that had come so close to the Premier League title in the last two seasons.
However, as pressure grows to win either the Premier League or the Champions League, Tony Cascarino believes Arsenal must now prove they can match the 23-year-old’s ambitions or risk selling him to one of the biggest football clubs in the world world to lose.
Speaking on The Pitch Prospect Breakfast, Cascarino said: “In football there are always vultures lurking over football clubs trying to take their best players.”
“There is no bigger vulture than Real Madrid – if they come after you there is a good chance it will happen.”
“It’s not just about convincing the player, but also about the involvement of the agents and the temptation of Real Madrid.
“Look, winning and being successful is a great way to retain players, it really is.
“Arsenal has to achieve this because Saliba is playing at the level of a Real Madrid player, but he has to be convinced that Arsenal will be a successful and winning team.”
“They have to be challenging to win the Champions League because that’s what Real Madrid do so often.”
“I think everyone is replaceable to some degree,” Cascarino added.
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“We are talking about a super high level and once Real Madrid are interested in you, you know that they are the team that wins the Champions League most often.
“If they come after you, Arsenal have a problem.
“He only signed a five-year contract about a year ago so he’s tied down for quite a while, but maybe they need to give him a new contract to keep him around longer.
“It will be a problem but this is great for Arsenal as a football club because it shows they are successful because a club like Real Madrid wants one of their players.”
Arsenal are next in action on Saturday when they take on Bournemouth on the south coast, with exclusive live commentary on The Pitch Prospect.