Confirmed: Bukayo Saka signs record Arsenal contract

Arsenal have confirmed Bukayo Saka has signed a new, long-term deal at the Emirates.

The contract extension is worth more than £300,000 a week and was agreed several weeks ago, but the England international has now put pen to paper in another major boost for the title-chasing Gunners.

Saka had 18 months left on his remaining deal and would have become a target for Europe’s major clubs had the situation dragged on beyond the summer.

Speaking for the first time since signing his deal, the England international said: “I’m feeling amazing.

“I think it’s a fantastic moment for my family and for me. I feel immense joy to continue my journey at this club. For me, it was an easy commitment and I just hope to win everything here.

“The journey that I’ve been on, from where I started to where I am now, and the journey the team’s been on as well, is a special one.

“I believe the next few years are going to be the years that we get over the line, and we’re able to win trophies and make history for this club. We’re back where we belong, fighting for everything.”

Saka has made almost 300 appearances for Arsenal since making his debut against Vorskla Poltava in 2018 and won 48 caps for England. He is expected to be a key man for Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions at this summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The move continues Arsenal’s policy of trying to tie down their best young players on long-term deals with Saka following in the footsteps of William Saliba, Gabriel, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly in agreeing to stay.

Saka stars for Arsenal in central role

Predominantly a right-sided attacker, Saka featured in a more central role against Wigan in the FA Cup at the weekend and thrived in a 4-0 win.

But the Gunners star was withdrawn in the second half of the 2-2 draw with Wolves on Wednesday night, as his side took another hit in their title bid.

Despite picking up a knock, he still faced the media after the match at Molineux, saying: “It’s very flat. Very disappointed with the result and especially with the way we played in the second half. Far from the standards we’ve set this season.

“It’s time for us to reflect on the last few performances and fix the issues immediately, so we can get back to winning games, go on a run and build momentum because we’ve lost that a bit right now.

“I just think we have to get back to our level. Do the basics right and we’ve got more than enough quality in this team to win games, especially in the games where we’ve been dropping points in recently. We need to fix that and that’s all our focus is right now.”

Arsenal and Saka will need to regroup to go again on Sunday, when they face rivals Tottenham in a huge clash for their season ambitions.