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The deployment of Mikel Arteta as a holding midfielder has divided Arsenal fans for some time now.
Much like Michael Carrick, a similar player, Arteta has disciples and detractors given the quite subtle job that he undertakes. However, there has been no division as far as Arsene Wenger has been concerned. He made Arteta club captain upon Thomas Vermaelen’s departure last summer and numbers amongst Wenger’s most-trusted lieutenants. Word on the street suggests that the Frenchman sees coaching credentials in his skipper.
This season has been notably difficult for Arteta; fitness has eluded him for the entire season. After a third consecutive calf injury in November, the Gunners’ medical team began to rummage around his ageing limbs and found a bony spur in his ankle to be the root of the problem.
He was operated on in November and in March he returned to full training. However, his recovery has been slow, despite a pair of appearances in the U-21s this month. Little has been said by the club regarding the reasons for his convoluted recuperation.
At the turn of the year, the word from Arsenal and Arteta’s advisors was that a one year extension to his current contract, which expires in the summer, was all but signed. Three months on and Wenger has admitted that the deal remains unsigned, though he is maintaining a public confidence that the process is a mere formality.
The reasons for the delay are unclear. It could be that the club want him to prove his fitness before committing to a further year on his contract. The adjournment could also have been instigated by the player himself.
The surprise emergence of Francis Coquelin means that Arteta’s status as a bona fide member of the first XI is in doubt. The Spaniard may be waiting to see what sort of role he can expect before committing to a new contract.
One would suspect that Coquelin’s renaissance has probably curtailed Mathieu Flamini’s Arsenal career, but there is still some suggestion that Wenger will look to buy a younger version of Arteta in the summer. Coquelin’s aggression and energy have been vital attributes for the Arsenal team, however, he does not have anything close to Arteta’s precision in possession.
With Coquelin in midfield, Arsenal’s centre-halves are left with fewer options. One would think that Wenger would want to at least maintain an Arteta-esque option for the position. The question for the Spaniard is whether the manager trusts him to do it for one more season, or whether Wenger will be tempted to purchase a younger model.
One would imagine that Arsene would want to keep a player like Arteta around as a mentor and as a positive influence on the training ground. The Catalan is renowned for his professionalism and is held in high regard by his teammates. Wenger trusts him to be the link between coach and players.
It might be that Arsene sees Arteta’s future as an elder statesman in the dressing room, much like Giggs and Scholes became in their autumnal years at Manchester United. But if this comes at the expense of playing time, one would understand if Arteta were to consider his options.
He may want to finish his career in his native Spain. Mikel will know better than anyone the extent to which this season’s physical exertions have taken their toll on him, if at all. If he feels that they have, he may reflect on that when making what is surely going to be the final big call of his career at the top level.
Personally, I dearly hope that he stays, but whatever he or the club decide, I hope his tenure at Arsenal is remembered more fondly in retrospect than it’s currently regarded.
