Do Not Sell My Personal Information
The news of Mikel Arteta’s new contract extension has so far received mix reviews. The Arsenal skipper is one of the oldest in the squad at 32, with many believing his time at the club could soon come to an end. Those who followed this train of thought would have been justified with the Spaniard’s previous deal set to end this June, with no fresh negotiations being reported.
This before the player’s agent, Inaki Ibanez, announced a few days ago that his client had signed a deal to tie him to the club until the summer of 2016.
“Mikel is no longer free next June, because he now has an extra year on his contract,” he said.
No official confirmation from Arsenal, but the likes of Sky Sports and ESPN FC have reported the news since. Have Arsenal taken the right course of action? I’m not particularly swayed either way.
Arteta is currently sidelined with an ankle injury he sustained against Dortmund in November, and has managed just seven league appearances this season. At 32, injuries will take a much bigger toll on Arteta than that of a younger player, and many fear his performances will suffer. Opponents will question Wenger’s decision to bring the player back when he should be looking to take a more youthful approach.
I would tend to agree with that, however with the emergence of Coquelin and the arrival of Beilik, I think Arsenal do possess long term option in defensive midfield, and that perhaps Wenger does have one eye on the future. Need I remind you that Arteta has only signed a one year extension, it isn’t exactly long, which implies to me that Wenger has other options for the future.
I don’t think Arteta’s deal will effect Wenger’s plans going forward at all. Wenger has no problem benching his skipper (just ask Vermalean) if there are better options available to him.
I can pretty much guarantee that those who are against Arteta’s contract extension, oppose it on the sole basis that his performances has been faltering lately and that he shouldn’t be first choice anymore. My counter is that a new deal does not mean more playing time on the pitch. If it is Coquelin you are actually worried about (by that I mean you are afraid Wenger will play Arteta over him), don’t be. Wenger know what he has.
