There is a contract update from the Daily Mail, but it mainly concerns Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin, not the two players that being widely talked about. The French striker is set to commit to another year at the Emirates Stadium, while Coquelin is expected to double his wages and sign until 2021. The club are confident of getting these deals done in the coming weeks and that will provide them with a boost ahead of the new year. The report does go onto state that the club are optimistic about Ozil’s contract talks, but doubts remain over Sanchez.
It is a good thing that Arsenal are securing the long term futures of several players in the squad as they are progressing nicely and have the ability to challenge for league titles in years to come. The main problem for them is that they are uncertain about the future of Arsene Wenger and therefore it is difficult to plan for the long term, as the next manager may not like some of the players at the club. That is why the Gunners are already working on Arsene Wenger’s replacement as they will want somebody that shares the Frenchman’s footballing philosophy.
One player that has yet to enter into contract negotiations is Kieran Gibbs, despite the left back having only 18 months left on his current deal. He is one of several players in the last two years of his contract and he will be hoping that his future is sorted out in the coming months, as the uncertainty won’t be helping his game. The main concern for Gibbs is that the Mirror’s report states that Arsenal are looking for a new left back and that suggests that they may not see a place for Gibbs in the long term.
Although he has been a steady player for Arsenal, Gibbs has never managed to emerge as a first team regular and he is now at the age of 27. He is unlikely to get much better and Arsenal will need a better quality starting left back if they are to challenge for major honours. They may want to sell Gibbs on in the summer, while he still has some value. The fact he is an England international will mean that they can bring in a significant fee for him and there will be a number of Premier League clubs interested.
It is yet to be known whether Arsenal will do any January transfer business, but one player that is continued to be linked to the club is Julian Draxler. The 23-year-old has been a long term target for the club and he will be available in January after being suspended by Wolfsburg. The Sun report that Arsenal have launched a £30 million bid for the outcast, but will face strong competition from PSG. Although his attitude has been called into question, Draxler remains a huge talent and certainly has something to offer to Arsenal.
Despite attacking midfield being one of Arsenal’s strongest positions, Draxler would offer more dynamism to the team and has the ability to create moments of magic out of nothing. Arsenal have lacked creativity, especially from wide positions and Draxler would provide an extra dimension to their attack. It is also a move that could please Mesut Ozil and help motivate the German to commit to the club for the long term. There is a real need for Arsenal to strengthen in January if they want to seriously challenge for the title and Draxler would send a signal of intent to the rest of the league.
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