Arsenal sensation Bukayo Saka has committed his long-term future to the Premier League leaders, signing a blockbuster new five-year contract that runs until 2030 and makes him the club’s highest earner.
In an exclusive live interview with CNN’s Amanda Davies at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, the 24-year-old homegrown hero declared the decision was “an easy choice” – and insisted the Gunners now have “the opportunity to make history”.
“The club is going in the right direction for sure,” Saka told Davies. “We have an amazing team and we’re back fighting for every trophy, so no place I’d rather be. To be playing at the highest level, to be playing for Arsenal, this is everything I want.”
The interview took a tear-jerking turn when Davies handed Saka a never-before-seen letter from his Nigerian parents, written to mark the new deal. Visibly moved, the Arsenal star read it aloud before admitting: “I don’t really see my mom and dad speak with me like this a lot. I’m pretty speechless.
“I don’t feel I’m here alone. I feel they’re right with me, and they always have been, so I’m grateful.”
Saka, who joined Arsenal’s Hale End academy at just eight years old in 2010, credited his parents’ incredible journey from Nigeria for everything. “Their journey is inspiring… For me the only explanation is God, because it’s not normal. It’s like one in a million chance.”
With Arsenal sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League, reaching the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, the FA Cup fifth round and the Champions League last 16 with a perfect record, Saka is refusing to get carried away – but the hunger is clear.
“It’s counterproductive to focus solely on that (the Premier League),” he said. “You have to do what you can day-to-day because you can’t control the outcome. We’re in control so we’re just looking forward to that.”
He admitted learning painful lessons from recent near-misses: “It’s not a nice thing. No one’s happy to go through them. What you learn is crucial and you just have to take it into the moment now… and try and do what we can to not have any miss next time.”
Saka saved special praise for manager Mikel Arteta, calling him the perfect coach. “He’s been pivotal for me, crucial in my development. I’ve become a much better player under him. He’s trusted me a lot and I’m very grateful. When people ask me what I want in a coach it’s him.”
Yet the star ruled out ever stepping into management himself: “No chance. Definitely no. Hard no.”
On captaining the side and his growing leadership role, Saka added: “There are different types of captains… I’ll just be myself. I just try and live in the moment. It’s just my instincts.”
The interview also touched on the racist abuse Saka suffered after the Euro 2020 final – and how fan love helped him rise stronger.
“Love always wins because for all the hatred and the negativity the love that I received overcame everything,” he said. “It lifted me up and obviously helped me to come back and do what I’ve been doing in recent years.”
Saka has been Arsenal’s standout performer under Arteta – more goals and assists than anyone else in the squad, more minutes played, and already a multiple Player of the Year winner. The new deal cements him as the heartbeat of a team chasing their first Premier League title since 2004 and first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
As the 24-year-old put it: “When you taste that victory, you just want to do it again and again and again.”
Arsenal fans can breathe easy – their Starboy isn’t going anywhere. History beckons.
