Cazorla’s future may be in doubt, despite what Wenger says!
Santi Cazorla is highly regarded as a fan favourite at the Emirates and one of the most influential and talented players that the Gunners have on the books. He started the season well and showed his importance to the side, yet in the last month he has struggled with fitness and hasn’t been able to get past a niggling injury that’s keeping him out of the side.
Cazorla missed the majority of last season due to injury and his absence from the side was painful on the team. We missed his stability and creativity in midfield and many believe that had the Gunners had Cazorla fit for the whole season, perhaps our chances of winning the title last year would’ve been much better. On his return from injury in the final stages of the last campaign, Cazorla immediately brought a breath of fresh air to the team and he showed the Gunners exactly what we had been missing.
A year on from his last major injury diagnosis and we find ourselves in almost the same situation again, this time with the Spaniard being ruled out for an unknown period of time, due to a inflammation at the back of his Achilles.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s champions league match, Wenger said: ‘I don’t know how far Santi is (from returning). He looks to me to that he is making progress, but as long as a player is not in full time training with the squad it is difficult to set targets.
“It’s not a big injury, it’s not an injury which will harm his future, but it’s an inflammation at the back of his achilles, and it’s very difficult on inflammations to give a set time.’
Wenger sounds like a manager to me who may have given up on predicting a set date for Cazorla’s return and I mean no wonder he has, Le Prof is being asked the same question at almost every opportunity. However I do think it’s a worry that Cazorla doesn’t have a set return date, purely because of how much it has shown this season that we have missed him, and perhaps even more so the fact that he also missed most of last season through injury.
Interestingly Wenger also said that this isn’t an injury that will harm his future at the club, because let’s remember he’s now 31 years old and one of the more experienced Gunners in the side. Cazorla is still a first team regular when fit, but these consistent injury problems are becoming quite concerning and if the midfielder cannot keep his fitness up, it could spell a sorry end to what has been a truly fantastic career for the Spaniard at Arsenal.
Cazorla’s contract is coming to an end and with the Gunners yet to renew it or even begin talks with the player, it could prove vital in negotiations that Cazorla shows that these little injuries aren’t going to become a consistent problem in the last few years of his career at the top. Arsenal are known for only handing out 1 year deals to players over the age of 30 and so there is a lot riding of Cazorla to prove his fitness to the Arsenal bosses this season.
Get well soon Santi!
By AH