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Arsenal looks to be closing in on another two major announcements that would add further salt to Liverpool’s wounds at the moment.
Mikel Arteta’s side has already taken a commanding lead in the race for the Premier League title this season. Having found themselves five points behind the Reds just a matter of weeks ago, the Gunners now sit four points clear at the top of the table, and seven ahead of Liverpool.
A run of four straight league defeats has left Arne Slot’s side with a mountain to climb already at this early stage of the season, and while there is little sign of things improving at Anfield at the minute, it’s the opposite in north London.
Having already secured new contracts for Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Magalhaes during the summer, and William Saliba just last month, Arsenal looks set to tie down two more of its biggest players to new deals.
According to BBC Sport, the club has progressed in its efforts to sign Bukayo Saka to a new long-term contract, and there is a growing expectation that an agreement will be reached.
Not only that, but Arsenal is also said to have started discussions with Jurrien Timber with a view to him extending his contract, while it’s also suggested that attentions will soon turn to Declan Rice’s future.
Getting two - and potentially three - more of its biggest stars tied down to long-term deals will be a major coup for Arsenal, and will of course be bad news for Liverpool.
The Gunners are now seen as the favorites for this season’s title among many people, given the contrasting fortunes currently being experienced at the Emirates Stadium and Anfield.
If they are to be crowned champions for the first time in over 20 years, then the raft of new deals sets them up for further success in the future, with Saka and Timber, both aged 24, certain to play a big role.
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The former has of course been one of the Premier League’s best attackers for a number of years now, while the latter has built up quite the reputation at right-back, with Gary Neville recently suggesting he might be the best in the world right now.
Seeing their rivals tie down another two important players will come as source of frustration for Reds fans as well, given the problems Liverpool has had in that department.
Although Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah eventually signed new two-year deals last season, Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid after running down his contract, while the same could happen with Ibrahima Konate next summer.
Arsenal then might not only be laying the groundwork to end its long wait for a title, but it could be getting a head-start on Liverpool for next season and beyond, with the Reds having their work cut out for them long before the summer arrives.
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