Mikel Arteta has admitted that he is considering keeping Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Arsenal next season rather than selling him in the summer to Roma who want to keep him.
Unai Emery did not know how to use Henrikh Mkhitaryan and, as a result, he ended up being shunted off to Italy where he has shone.
Now, we are closing in on decision time and Arsenal could try to keep a player we all surely thought was half out the door, never to return.
“I always liked him very much – his words – and we know his characteristics and his past thoroughly: we have time, but we are considering keeping him with us next season,” Arteta said as reported by Corrie della Sera.
It’s not hard to understand why Arteta would be keen to keep him at the club given the form he has shown this season at Roma despite suffering a few injuries.
When the summer rolls around and Mkhitaryan’s loan spell ends, he will have a year left on his Arsenal deal so a decision will need to be made.
Offer him a new deal (and probably have to increase his already sky-high wages) or sell him and use the money to buy a more affordable replacement?
Sadly, despite how much Arteta might want to keep the Armenian, finances at Arsenal may dictate otherwise.