“They will think: ‘What the hell?’” - Emmanuel Petit says Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice will want to leave if Arsenal sell 24-year-old star
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit reckons the exit of defender William Saliba could lead to Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice following suit. All three have been key performers for the Gunners.
Among the trio, Rice - who arrived last summer from West Ham United - has taken to life at the Emirates like a fish to water, becoming one of the first starters in Mikel Arteta's XI.
Rice, 26, has registered eight goals and 10 assists in 50 games across competitions. Two of those strikes were free-kicks in a 3-0 upset of holders Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final. The Gunners went on to win 5-1 on aggregate before losing 3-1 over two legs to Paris Saint-Germain in the semis.
Apart from his goal contributions, Rice has been an assured presence in the middle of the park for the Gunners. The same also goes for Saka up front and Saliba in the heart of defence.
Amid reports of Saliba moving to Real Madrid, Petit said that the exit of a key player would lead Saka and Rice to move away from the Emirates. The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner said on talkSPORT:
“I’ve been reading things about selling Saliba to Real Madrid. I’m thinking ‘What the hell? You want to bring in strikers, wingers, and then you sell your best defender? What’s the point? It’s a step back if you do that. The first step will be to keep your best players.
“If you start selling your best players, starting from Saliba, there’s no way that players like Saka and Rice… they will think: ‘What the hell? What are we doing?'”
The Gunners are second in the Premier League with two games remaining, 15 points behind champions Liverpool, who have already wrapped up the title.
What's next for Arsenal?
Arsenal are in the midst of another decent season, but their Premier League title drought now extends to a 22nd year. They also suffered UEFA Champions League elimination in the semis and early exits in both domestic cups.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta's side are coming off a heartening 2-2 Premier League draw at champions Liverpool last weekend, recovering from two goals down at the break to force a share of the spoils and remain second in the standings.
They next take on Newcastle United at home on Sunday (May 18) before closing their league campaign and season at Southampton seven days later as they seek to return to the UEFA Champions League.
