Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has not yet agreed a new deal but he isn’t the only one who is out of contract next summer. Players with only one year left on their contract could give us an indication of who might leave this summer.
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.
All indications are that Aubameyang will also renew. We are just waiting for the club to announce it.
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 only really wants to keep one of them long-term – Aubameyang.
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 the other keepers at the club and his ability.
As we’ve just given him that deal he probably won’t be sold this summer, 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 are trying to sell both this summer but Sokratis may or may not want to leave and Mustafi is only just off crutches.
Finally, Mesut Ozil’s deal also runs out next summer but the club have found it impossible to move him on due to his astronomical wages. There has been 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 year of his deal which would be a real shame if he’s going to be used as little as he has been this season.
Ozil wants Arteta to play him and, from what I can determine, Arteta wants to do just that.
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.
Ozil did, apparently, feature for Arsenal in their pre-season game against Aston Villa, so perhaps there is hope yet…