Santi Cazorla has confirmed that he is hoping to continue his Arsenal career beyond the summer, but has not been offered a contract as of yet.
The midfielder has proven to be a vastly consistent performer in recent years, and is one of the first names on the team-sheet so far this season.
Cazorla is into the final year of his contract, and he has now revealed that he has not been offered an extension as of yet.
He said: ‘No, I don’t have any news from the club regarding a new contract.
‘My focus now is on playing and to be able to enjoy playing football following a season when I had lots of injury problems.
‘I hope I can stay here and continue to play. I am happy here. What a player wants is to play and to feel important.
‘Fortunately, since I arrived at Arsenal, I’ve had the confidence of the coach and of my teammates. I’ve played a lot of minutes. In the end, that is what every player wants.’
The Spanish international turns 32 in December, and our club are not big on offering long-term deals to people of that age (excluding goalkeepers), but Cazorla is already proving that he is still at the top of his game.
I would reward our first-team star with a two-year deal without issue, despite the wealth of options at our disposal, with him proving he deserves to be a first-team regular with a number of impressive performers.
I find it hard to believe that Santi will not be offered a new deal, unless a long-term injury disrupts his playing career during the current campaign.
Does Wenger’s lack of a new deal interfere with a potential deal for Cazorla? Will Santi be able to hold onto his first-team spot for the remainder of the season?
Pat J