Are Arsenal set to fall into the contract trap once again? (Opinion)

Arsenal have allowed players to run deep into their contracts once again, but does Alexandre Lacazette deserve the contract he is requesting?

Of course, his wage demands aren’t made public, but according to reports we are looking to tie the Frenchman down a 12-month extension, while he is holding out for a long-term deal.

The above makes perfect sense for both parties, but they can’t both get their current wish, and unfortunately it is the player who appears to have the power in negotiations, knowing he could simply leave for nothing in the summer.

The biggest problem for us at the moment is that Lacazette is our only experienced forward in the team. Aubameyang was there alongside earlier in the season, but he has since been dropped from the playing squad, stripped from his role as captain, and there is no telling how much of a role he will play again this term.

Laca has stepped up in his team-mates absence also, seeming to flourish amongst the young and exciting forwards in the squad, but has the new role as captain led to this resurgence in form and consistency, or is he simply playing for that new contract?

We’ve suffered financially after giving Mesut Ozil and now Auba after giving them new long-term deals, with drastic downturns in form on both counts, and coincidentally Laca will turn 31 years-old at the end of the season, the same age PEA was when he signed his latest contract.

It’s a really difficult one. We have a distinct lack of experienced players in the squad at present, with a clear preference for signing younger players in recent windows, and losing both Auba and Lacazette would lower the age of the playing squad somewhat.

It would be a risky decision to completely cut ties with our experienced duo, I think the time has come to take a chance.

We don’t want to be duped into another long-term deal for a player who will have little incentive to keep working to the best of his abilities. It almost seems as though Auba has joined Ozil in believing that he was more important than the club, almost acting as if the club owed him something.

The last thing we need is further disruption to the team, and I hope that the club sticks to their guns by offering a short extension to the former Lyon man, and not biting the bullet and giving him a new long-term deal as we did with Aubz…

Do you believe Laca’s focus on his contract could be spurring on his form?

Patrick

THE JUST ARSENAL SHOW – Dan Smith has a rant over Arteta and ‘Players Welfare”

Tags Alexander Lacazette

53 Comments

  1. Question is what he brings to the team, and whether someone else can bring the same.

    1. Hold up play is good, but not irreplaceable.

    2. Not a prolific goal scorer at Arsenal, never will be.

    3. He is a temporary fix, not a solution to the striker position.

    4. Good leader, but we need others to lead now and going forward; Tierney, Gabriel, Odegaard.

    Personally I hope we address the situation now rather than extend Laca and put off the problem for another year.

    Being 2nd choice and a safety net in case a new striker struggles isn’t what Laca is looking for.

    Rumored he wants raise and multi-year contract. That is not best for Arsenal, so I think it best all part ways.

    The youth revolution is working for Araenal, now is the time to continue not hesitate or doubt.

    1. Youth revolution yes but you still need experienced heads around them,who will be left once he’s gone?would you rather we keep paying players like Cedric,Mari,Chambers…just for their experience while taking squad places? Look at Xhaka who is meant to be a leader on &, off the pitch,can you trust him not to do something crazy/stupid like getting sent off? Auba and Ozil were mistakes but letting go off Lacs would be another one.

      1. No
        Laca should be allowed to leave.
        It’s Ozil and Auba all again
        No club will him oY 182k a week. He can leave, as for link up play there are players available. He doesn’t score enough goals for a striker bought for 52m and paid 182k a week

      2. Multi-year contracts for players over 30 is a mistake, look at our track record.

        Recently:
        1. Ozil
        2. Willian
        3. Auba

        Laca is trending down a similar path. Avoid repeating the same mistake.

        As for leaders, you too easily dismiss our players. Tierney has experience at league level, CL, and national team.

        Many argue he could have captained Celtic if Brown wasn’t captain. Odegaard’s role on Norwegian team shouldn’t be dismissed either.

        You defeat your own argument by mentioning Cedric, Mari, and Chambers, players who are surplus at the club, and barely feature.

        Now is the time to appoint a young captain that reflects the team and direction of the club; Tierney, Odegaard, or Gabriel.

      1. Jon
        I finally see “growth” from this young squad, wouldn’t call it “progression ” yet, a bit too early I feel.

        The young attackers have been capable of picking up the scoring slack we saw with Auba. Their work ethic, pressing, intensity and hunger is refreshing to see.

        I hope Arteta capitalizes on this and appoints a young captain from this squad.

        It sends a proper message of trust, reliability, and reinforces the direction and path the club has chosen going forward.

        Many clubs big and small envy our young players, and I think it fitting they be given the chance to lead.

    2. Let Laca go. Work out modalities on how to offer Nketia new contract and playing time. Eddie is a great striker who can fill both Laca and Aubameyang shoes.
      In midfield let AMN go together with with Elneny and get with Arthur Melo or Renato Sanches. Charlie Patino might be young but he has shown what he is capable of doing.
      Right back get Lamtey.
      Centre half Saliba is waiting for his chance in Arsenal shirt.

  2. No,
    Laca wants more than we should give. Finish this season and give him a parade and wish him well. There is no crisis with Auba at all. He’s gonna leave in the next 18 mos. Another parade and call it good. We need a new striker maybe ESR if we don’t go get one of the fashionable options? I think he has the size and certainly the skills.

  3. Do you believe Laca’s focus on his contract could be spurring on his form? really?when had Laca given less than 100%?he might have gone through tough patches but questioning his commitment come on now!not only that but add injuries,not being played regularly/benched and playing alongside an out of form Auba might explain a lot.the fact that the sticking point (despite being his last big contract)is the length and not money should tell you about the man’s character just ask MA.by the way every player plays for his next contract/move.people might think it’s only one year but when You’re over 30 years old, it’s a different story.

      1. JAMES, I DONT AGREE THAT MANY ARE QUESTIONING HiS COMMITMENT.
        I BELIEVE MOST ARE SIMPLY GIVING WHAT HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY SEEN AS SOUND ADVICE IN NOT AWARDING 30 YEAR OLD PLAYERS – ESP STRIKERS WHO TEND TO LAST LESS LONG AT TOP LEVEL- ANY MORE THAN A ONE YEAR EXTENSION .
        That is my view too.

    1. Siamois, I agree that Lacazette’s commitment should not be questioned. Similarly, Lacazette doesn’t appear to have the character flaws evident with Ozil and Aubameyang.
      The decision should simply be based on his age, performances, contribution on and off the field, the wages and length of contract demanded. If it was acceptable for Dennis Bergkamp, in my view the best Arsenal player I have seen, to be retained on single year contracts after age 30, then Lacazette is entitled to no more!

  4. I like Laca and I feel he has been doing a lot for us lately. I would like him to get a 1 year extension but that’s it. After Ozil and Auba the club needs to learn from its mistakes. If Laca refuses then still fine by me it’s not like he scores anyway. The current 180 or 200kpw he is on are wages not many teams will be ready to offer for someone who never scores. In fact, I am certain the club holds all the cards not Laca. The club has the money to replace him, does Laca have the quality to get another 200kpw contract?

  5. He holds all the cards and I do not believe he will accept a 1 year extension when he can, almost certainly, get a longer term deal with a signing on fee and increased wages on a free in 6 months. Mind you if we can somehow sell Auba along with his huge salary, the picture changes but there are long odds on that happening

  6. Lacazette would most likely think about his expiring contract when working hard in training and in the games. A more lucrative deal could make a player adopt a more luxurious lifestyle and subsequently prioritize his personal stuff over his team, as seen in the performance drops of Walcott, Ozil and Aubameyang

    This is why Arsenal had better offer a performance-based contract, to ensure a 30+ years old player keep putting in extra effort. I believe Lacazette isn’t as popular as Walcott, Ozil and Aubameyang, so he won’t be able to force Arsenal to give him a similar deal

    We have Aubameyang, Nketiah, Balogun, Martinelli, Moller, Biereth and Edwards for the CF role, yet none of them can play like Lacazette. This fact shows how difficult it is to replace him and we can’t make another wrong signing for such important position, so we might need to loan a CF first in January

    1. Gail, that a diplomatic response😊.should we give Lacazette a long term deal? The answer is NO one year should be the best Arsenal can offer. However, a clause or condition could be included if he is to be given 2 years contract extension. But just like you said ,”Arsenal could loan a good CF in January” but with the intention of a permanent signing if good . There is no “God may be irreplaceable” human types are always available in football. If we carefully search for a CF there are good but unpopular ones.

      1. Thanks, mate. A 2-year extension with performance-based clauses sounds sensible

        Loaning a CF in January will make the coaches able to assess the guy properly, as we did to Odegaard

  7. Emmanuel Dennis from Watford can ably replace him and do the things that he does even better. He has 8 goals and 5 assis with a team that is struggling

  8. Let’s not be too emotional about this, we are getting to the age where players use contract to get away with things, Wenger predicted it long ago and now the clubs are struggling to renew big players contract because of the unrealistic demands. It’s happens all over, every where , look at Sallah , Pogba, and a few others running down their contract and Messi with Barca.
    It’s just the reality, it’s better to catch them young and sell at the right time

  9. MA has made Lacazette play in a way that I haven’t seen under UE or AW.
    He is thriving with the responsibility given to him and THAT (in my opinion) is why we are seeing a different player…. nothing to do with any contract.

    Look at how Saka and Martinelli have improved / benefitted as well from his experience.

    I think we have to try and tie him down to a rolling contract, but also bring back the previous club rules that anyone over 30 will only get a one year contract and if they don’t sign it before their current contract has less than two years left….. they are put on the transfer list.
    Let’s start behaving like a top club!!!!!

    1. I agree w ith you Ken, but I think, it also depend on the form of the player. If at 30 and the player is still scoring goals for fun, it becomes very difficult to sell such a player. And that is exactly what happened in the case of Aubameyang.

  10. Aube Pepe and now laca for Frankie de jong .. sell nketiah and elneny add some cash and buy a decent striker … good for a serious run in

  11. I believe that we , along with other big clubs who pay all players far more than they are worth, will need from now on to get used to players running down their contracts to zero.

    Provided that we are not the only club having to let players leave for nothing – and plainly we will not be alone in this – then we will be no more disavantaged than any other club.

    We are likely to pick up at least as many, if not more top players for virtually nothing, than we lose for nothing.

    SIMPLE MARKET ECONOMICS AND WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. As it will lead in time to lower wages all round and lower transfer fees in general, I say its great news and welcome it. The key ,as it has always been, is to import the RIGHTv players and let the RIGHT ones leave.

    Thats called being a good or bad manager and is where scouting is vital and where our backroom admin contracts folk earn their money too.

    1. Well said Jon, no club operates in a vacuum.
      The key is not allowing the club to be placed in this position.

      Honestly Laca should have been on the market last Summer or before if he didn’t renew his contract.

      If players wind down contract looking to leave on a free, then assign them secondary roles and sub appearances so the club can address the future now.

      Or sell them or loan them out to send a clear message. Club comes first; commit to the club and it’s future or there isn’t a place for you.

      More time for others players; if they aren’t stepping up then scout the market for what we need.

      Players holding the club hostage is unacceptable and should never be allowed to happen.

      Negotiations should begin before they have 2 years left, so after 6 months of talks a decision can be made. Transition other players to take over if possible, and market a player not finishing his final year.

      Arteta has instilled discipline, would love to see that policy applied to contracts and negotiations from others in management.

      1. Durand IN OTHER WORDS, A WELCOME AND LONG OVERDUE RETURN TO SOUND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. SPOT ON!
        I THINK IT WILL HAPPEN BUT NOT AS QUICKLY AS MOST OF US FANS WISH.
        REAL CHANGE TAKES TIME, THOUGH IT NEED NOT ACTUALLY WHEN THE RIGHT POLICY IS INTRODUCED AND THERE IS A REAL WILL TO ACT ON IT QUICKLY

        BUT IN CLUBS RUN AS BADLY IN CONTRACT AND WAGES MATTERS AS OURS HAS BEEN THESE LAST MANY YEARS, I KNOW IT JUST WILL TAKE TIME FOR COMPLETE CHANGE. SIGH!

    2. Only the blind refuse to see that if a club is to get a big transfer fee for an older player it is better for said player to run it down and pocketing a sign on bonus. The risk is injury or fall off in form.

  12. We’ve seen this same movie before. The last time it was Ozil taking us to the cleaners after we bungled negotiations with Alexis Sanchez.

    Laca is right to demand a long-term contract after seeing how poorly we treated his mate, Auba. We created the crisis in the first place – an own goal, unforced error – when we awkwardly sidelined Auba, without a plan B.

    Just waiting to see if we have since grown the cojones to tell him no.

      1. Based on our form over the last 4/5 games, there is indeed a case for keeping Lacazette. Projecting the same form over the next two years, we could be back in Europe soon, earning more than enough to cover his salaries. Is this rocket science?

    1. So u think Laca is fighting Uaba’s battle here? You are a fan who is OK with players indiscipline and disrespect of club standards? You also believe Laca demanded a longer contract recently after Uaba’disciplinery action? Come on Mate

  13. If he doesn’t accept one year then he can leave for all I care he never scored 20 goals a season. He cost about 52m and also 180k per week in wages. Simply not good enough IMHO.

  14. Laca keeps the team ticking until the summer then he can leave and thank you very much for your service if he does not sign a year extension. Up to him really.

    Sell Auba & Eddie in Jan, Loan Jovic from Madrid, as hes up for loan apparently, until the aummer thenmaybe a permanent deal.
    This looks the same situation as Ødegaard last year!

    Elneny will be gone permanently and Thomas is gone for 4weeks at AFCON so we need a CM to come straight in with experince to help.

    Come summer we will have another small clear out and a few returns in Saliba, Nelson & Patino stepping up just like Emile & Bakayo.

  15. Maximum 1 year rolling contract. No more big money lazy contracts. The Evidence… Ozil, Willian, Aubameyang. The club must be firm. If we get a good striker in January we will not be dependent on Laca.

  16. If Arteta strongly thinks and believes Laca will still has the capacity in him that he needs onward to play a strong role in his youngsters Arsenal team that he’s building now. Laca with his reknown unique quality of playing the game which is said he has could make Arteta’s managed Arsenal give him a yearly contract extension with and option to be renew it for another year. Just like the kind of contract that Arsenal gave David Luis. But in Laca’s case it will run to 2&1/2 years in total if he’s given and he accepted it since it be in form of contract extension that takes effect from this soon coming January window. And the 182kpw wages he’s reported to be earning at the club should remain in force. And he should take it gratefully.

    I think beside Aubameyang who is reported to be taking 350kpw wages home from Arsenal, is Laca is the next highest pay Gunner to him? But what of that of Thomas Partey? Does he earns more than Laca at the club? If he does, and since Laca will remain as the Arsenal team captain after his contract extension is sorted out. I think Laca should not earn less than Partey but be at wages per with him or slightly above him.

    In truth, after us have seen how badly Ozil had behaved to Arsenal after he was made the club’s highest paid earner. It is logical if Arsenal learn their lesson to desist from giving hold to ransom crazy kind wages to any of their players henceforth with.

    In the case of Aubameyang who got similar wages like that of Ozil. I think Arteta who looked desperately wanted to keep him at Arsenal then took things for granted by making Arsenal to give Auba that crazy wage increase that he got.

    But it later turned out the end hasn’t justified the means as the professional job relationship between Arteta and Auba took a serious downturn hit. I think Auba who has remained silent ever since troubles broke out between him and his manager should speak out. So that us will know what actually has happened between them. Silence is said to be admission of guilt. So, if Auba is not guilty or even if he’s partly guilty let him speak out. Ozil did speak out when troubles broke out between him and Arteta. And from all what Ozil had said led us to know what kind of a money greedy character person he is. Who is not honest and lacks integrity when he got away with clever crooking Arsenal of their money. .

  17. Translation to Hafedh

    “Give me only one objective reason to extend it for more than a year. I didn’t find any”

    😁

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