Mikel Arteta says Arsenal still need to speak to Alexandre Lacazette about his contract situation, but now isn’t the time to do it.

lacazette training
ST ALBANS, ENGLAND: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal during a training session at London Colney on May 22, 2020. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

As you’re probably aware, Alexandre Lacazette only has a couple of years left on his Arsenal contract. Mikel Arteta says the club need to hold talks with him about it and understand his position on the matter, but not just yet.

“We have to have a chat about the next step with him and get his ideas and his feelings,” Arteta said. “As I said, I am really happy with him.

“He’s a player that I’ve always liked, even when I wasn’t here, because of what he brings to the team: his qualities, his ability, his work rate. So let’s see. Now we are in a crucial moment.

“It’s no time to talk about a lot of contract situations. We still have time and we will do it in the right moment.”

It’s funny to hear Arteta claim this isn’t the time to work on contracts. After all, Arsenal signed Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to new deals just last week.

The thing is, it’s different with the senior players. Until the end of the season, Arsenal don’t know what summer transfer business they’ll be able to do.

If they fail to qualify for the Champions League and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves, Arteta will probably push Lacazette to extend. But if Aubameyang decides to stay, perhaps Lacazette is a bit more expendable.

In that scenario, maybe Arteta would even push the Frenchman towards the door to raise funds for summer business. That’s just one example, plenty can happen between now and whenever the window opens. For now, we have to be patient.