Arsenal avoided putting a release clause in Bukayo Saka’s contract by compromising over the deal’s length, according to a report.
Bukayo Saka signed his new contract with Arsenal this week, committing to the club until 2027, but that deal length was reportedly part of a compromise.
The Daily Mail write that Saka’s agents had requested to insert a release clause in the winger’s new deal, but Arsenal were reluctant to accept.
The Gunners prefer to have the power to name their own price in negotiations, and the inclusion of a release clause for Saka could take that away.
As a compromise, Arsenal handed Saka a four-year deal, rather than the five-year deal many were expecting.
This means Arsenal will need to renegotiate the 21-year-old’s contract sooner than they otherwise may have, and Saka will have more flexibility to move on in a couple of years if things aren’t going to plan in north London.
It’s worth keeping in mind that Saka’s representatives can keep their options open without jumping to the conclusion that he’s going to push to leave in a couple of years.
Saka signed a four-year deal with Arsenal in 2020, and many were worried about what that would mean in a few years’ time.
Yet Saka has continued to work hard and improve on the pitch, and when he saw the progress the team were making, he extended for another four years.
Assuming Arsenal continue to move in the right direction, there’s no reason to believe Saka won’t be signing another extension in 2025 or 2026.
In some ways, it’s good to keep the club under pressure to keep their top stars happy on the pitch.
No one wants a squad full of players on eight-year deals where none of those players feel any pressure to perform and the club have no expectations to achieve anything to keep them settled. There’s already one London club in that situation.
Saka’s weekly wage is believed to be in the region of £200,000 a week, with bonuses bringing it to as much as £290,000 if performance targets are met.
The 21-year-old has been one of Arsenal’s Players of the Season in 2022/23, and he’s a regular fixture in all of the Premier League Teams of the Year going around at the moment.
The winger has 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, and he’ll hope to take another step forwards in the Champions League next season.