Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang agreed a new deal but there are quite a few players with expiring contracts at Arsenal
When Raul Sanllehi arrived at the club he made it clear no players would be allowed to enter into their final year of their contract. When they got to two years they would be renewed or sold.
It hasn’t quite worked out that way as we saw only too clearly with Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka who were both allowed to run theirs down.
Thankfully, Saka has renewed his contract, got the number 7 shirt and a nice tasty payrise.
What Arsenal players are out of contract next summer?
In total, there are six players out of contract next summer and it appears that the club don’t want to keep any of them.
Matt Macey signed a one-year deal to keep him at the club until 2021, but it is unlikely the club will renew after that unless something drastic happens to both his ability and the other keepers at the club.
As we’ve just given him that deal he probably won’t be sold in January, thus leaving in 2021 for free.
Arsenal also activated their one-year option to keep David Luiz at the club, much to the dismay of many supporters. That means he’s free to leave in 2021.
Both Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi are also out of contract next summer meaning Arsenal face the prospect of losing at least three centrebacks over the course of the next 12 months (they also want to sell Rob Holding and Calum Chambers).
Arsenal tried to sell both in the summer but there were no takers.
Finally, Mesut Ozil’s deal also runs out next summer and the club have found it impossible to move him on due to his astronomical wages. There was talk of the club paying him off just to make him go away for reasons that didn’t seem to make sense until recently.
He’s wanted in Turkey, but they don’t have the money to buy him, and it’s hard to see him not just waiting out the final months of his deal which would be a real shame if he’s going to be sitting at home every week for the rest of the season.
Ozil wants Arteta to play him and, from what I can determine, Arteta wants to do just that. Or at least he did.
The order not to, it seems, is coming down from on high and seeing such a talented player’s career fizzle out like this is sad, to say the least.