Good morning, a very quick Saturday round-up for you. First off though, thanks to everyone who dropped me a line regarding the really intense dreaming I’ve been doing. I mentioned this on the Arsecast yesterday, and it seems it’s quite common.
I had a fairly dreamless night last though, so maybe I’m over the worst of it. Or the best of it. Who knows. Anyway, let’s get on with the stuff.
Following the renewal of Per Mertesacker’s contract, it looks as if we’ve also extended Santi Cazorla’s by a year. Now, my understanding of the clauses which allowed us to take up the option for another year is that to do so automatically, the decision had to made before the end of last month.
After that both players would have been free to renegotiate the terms of their contracts and, of course, negotiate with other clubs as they’d be in the final 6 months of their deals. At that point, Mertesacker was back in full training and Cazorla had undergone surgery on his Achilles problem – perhaps providing some clarity as to his return to action.
Since then the Spaniard has had to have another little procedure as things have become complicated, and at 32 you can’t help but wonder how things are going to go for him. Even Arsene Wenger highlighted the difference between the Mertesacker and Cazorla situations, by saying the German’s problem was ‘just’ a knee injury – it wasn’t something that could have any real long-term consequences.
We’re still not sure if that’s going to be the case with Santi who has now missed a lot of football in the last two seasons. He got injured last November and although the initial knee-ligament problem cleared up in good time, it was the Achilles thing that kept him sidelined. He played in the final game of the season against Aston Villa, but that was it.
This time around he’s been gone since mid-October and there’s still no definite return date. Maybe, like Rosicky he can count the age of legs rather than his actual age because of all the time he’s missed, but it’s hard not worry about him and as I pointed out the other day, it’s a real shame because he’s such a good player and undoubtedly one of the nice guys in football.
What I would say though, is that in both cases the risk of renewal is offset by the depth we have around them. At the back it’s not as if Per has to be thrust back into action straight away and we do have Koscielny, Mustafi, Gabriel and Holding there too. Not to mention looking further into the future Calum Chambers who is doing well at Boro and receiving good reviews from the manager there.
In midfield, there’s Ramsey, Xhaka, Coquelin, Elneny (when he returns), and when the summer comes around there’s Jack Wilshere’s potential return to the fold. I do wonder if this Cazorla situation might well force Arsene Wenger into some serious thinking regarding Wilshere. Of all the midfield players we have, he looks the closest to Cazorla in terms of his ability on the ball and in tight spaces etc, but the issue might be that before then the team has evolved its style to one that is much less reliant on that kind of player.
Basically though, we’ve made a decision to keep two experienced players in the squad, and while there may well be some concerns over how much they can contribute I don’t really see it as a problem. For ages we’ve bemoaned a lack of depth and letting too much experience go too soon, this ensures we keep that around – and despite what people would have you believe, it is important to keep big influences on and off the pitch.
We also know that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger will always give the player and a person a chance. What message would it send if you got rid of the club captain as well as a player who has been fantastic for us – two men very popular in the squad – because they’re getting a bit older and are essentially being discarded because of injury? We have brought in ‘replacements’ for both, there’s already been some planning in terms of the recruitment, so I don’t believe it’s a case we’re doing it so we don’t have spend money in the transfer market.
And even if you did, where do you find another Cazorla? The name people keep bringing up is Marco Verratti at PSG who is a fantastic player, but not a realistic transfer target. Not unless you’re talking about using one of our top players as part of the deal, and I don’t think that’s something we really want to do anyway.
Also, I don’t think keeping Cazorla and Mertesacker on the terms they’re currently on, has any impact on what we can offer the likes of Ozil and Sanchez as we look for them to follow suit. If you really want to free up some wages, there are players who are closer to the exit door whose salaries can do that. But even still, the idea that we can’t find the money to keep our best players because of these two renewals makes little sense really.
By the way, if you missed it yesterday, Mertesacker’s statement about extending his contract is great. It’s clear he’s got a lot of love for the club and the fans:
I would just like to say how very grateful I am to have extended my contract with Arsenal. It makes me really proud and also a bit emotional.
My love for this club is authentic. I care a lot about team-mates, about fans, and I want people to identify with us. It’s very important to me now and it always has been.
I feel like there’s always been a link between myself and Arsenal. I’ve told the story a few times about when I came to London as a young boy and came back with an Arsenal shirt. I’ve never thrown that shirt away, and in fact it’s framed and is on the wall of my office back in Germany.
I’ll always keep it because it’s a reminder of the circle, of the journey I’ve been on with Arsenal, and of the people who have supported me and have helped me to reach my goals.
Read the full thing here, what a dude.
Right, if you haven’t had a chance to listen to yesterday’s Arsecast, it’s right there for you below. Back tomorrow with a Burnley preview and all the match stuff, happy listening.
