Three recent Mikel Arteta decisions could backfire on the club and cause Arsenal to stagnate at a time when progress is required.
Arsenal have been hugely impressive this season, and could well still be crowned Premier League champions.
Over the course of this campaign, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool have each shown that they are a class apart from the rest of the division.
Liverpool currently sit third in the table, behind the Gunners and Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions, but the Reds are still comfortably clear of fourth-placed Aston Villa by an eight point margin.
Continual progress and improvement is necessary to maintain this supremacy though. Mikel Arteta must use every transfer window as an opportunity to strengthen his squad, and must act ruthlessly when it comes to moving on players who can’t take the North London club to the next level.
However, three recent contract decisions could hold the club back in future.
Mikel Arteta has to strike correct balance with Arsenal contract decisions
Arsenal recently handed Takehiro Tomiyasu a new deal. There is no doubt that the Japanese star is an excellent player. Tomiyasu has been called the best one-on-one defender in the Arsenal squad.
However, his persistent injury issues mean that he cannot be relied upon to be fit and available when needed. Since the turn of the year, he has only been able to start two Premier League games. There is an argument that the wisest course of action would be to cash-in on the 25-year-old and replace him with a player with a more reliable fitness record.
On top of that, Arsenal are in talks to give Leandro Trossard a new contract. The Belgian has been in sensational form of late. He is currently a hugely important player, and would likely be equally valuable next season. However, at 29-years-old, this is probably the Gunners’ last chance to fetch a top fee for the £27 million former Brighton man.
Trossard has been hailed as Arsenal’s best finisher, but he lacks pace, and occasionally struggles to impress when asked to start matches. As good as Trossard has been, Arteta must recognised that there are better, and younger, options out there.
Latest Jorginho update shows lack of progressive thinking at Arsenal
Finally, Jorginho is expected to extend his stay at Arsenal. Again, the midfield veteran has be an integral part of Arteta’s side this season. At one stage there was a clamour for Arsenal to hand Jorginho a new contract.
In his recent outings against Bayern Munich though, he struggled with the pace of the game at that level. At 32-years-old, he certainly isn’t an improving player. Undeniably, his experience is a useful quality to have in the dressing room, but if he does stay at the club, Arteta must make signings to ensure that Arsenal aren’t as reliant on Jorginho next season as they were this time around.
It would not be disastrous if all three of these players signed new deals and remained at the club next season, but none of these contract decisions are especially progressive, and that must be offset by some seriously ambitious moves in the transfer market this summer.