Arsenal have announced that Bukayo Saka has signed a new contract with the club. The Hale End academy graduate commits until 2030 in a landmark deal for the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta, among others, have been working behind the scenes to secure a deal which football.london understands has been agreed since January. Saka has endured a challenging 18 months with three injuries, including having to undergo hamstring surgery last season.

He scored his fifth league goal of the campaign in the 2-2 draw with Wolves and spoke to the media after the game. He has become part of Arteta’s leadership group in the squad alongside the likes of Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes.

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Saka joins Gabriel, William Saliba, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri in committing their futures to the club in what has been a priority for sporting director Berta to lock in the club’s key players for the future.

Saka has formed a strong partnership with fellow England international Noni Madueke despite vying for the same right-wing position and has even taken on more responsibility with a central role emerging too. He has given Arteta more options as a result, but as the Premier League title race heats up after recent setbacks, the 24-year-old will be heavily scrutinised for how he performs between now and the end of the season.

Upon signing the new deal he saidto the Arsenal website: “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.”

Adding: “When I reflect at the end of my career, I want to be able to look back and see a kid that started aged seven, eight years old on trial for Arsenal and then went the whole way to win every trophy that there is available to win.

“That's the legacy that I want to create, and when I reflect at the end of my career, that's what I want to see. That would make me happy.”

The new deal is a considerable boost for the club and demonstrates the commitment to the belief that the best players in the side believe Arsenal remains the place to win the biggest honours.

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