Although it has not been confirmed yet ob the official Arsenal website, it appears that our young French midfield warrior Francis Coquelin has now removed any lingering doubts about his commitment to the club by signing a four year contract extension to his current deal which was due to expire at the end of this season, as revealed by a report in The Sun.
There were rumours flying about that the 23-year old was holding off on signing the new contract offered by Arsene Wenger, with suggestions that he wanted some sort of assurances from the boss about playing regularly and not going back onto the bench or into the reserves, especially if Arsenal end up signing one of the many central midfielders we have been linked with.
But as much as Wenger can assure his players that they are in his plans, it is up to them and their performances to make sure they play and there can be no guarantees. It is much more likely that Coquelin and his representatives were just trying to get the best possible deal and who can blame them? We first heard that the offer was three years and now it seems to be four, so maybe that was part of the negotiations.
Whatever the reason, it is great news for the fans that we now have Coquelin tied up and it should also give the whole dressing room a boost ahead of this crucial Premier League clash with Aston Villa, especially after the news that Alexis Sanchez is carrying a knock and may miss the game.
We may have to be patient and diligent against an improving Aston Villa, boosted by their own midfield star Fabian Delph signing a new deal. But Coquelin will be determined to snuff him out and make sure that he celebrates his new Gunners contract with an Arsenal win.