As things stand, it doesn’t look like Mikel Arteta is going to be offered a new contract at Arsenal. The 32 year old is believed to want to stay at Arsenal, and has criticised the clubs policy concerning contracts for over 30’s.
It wasn’t long ago that a number of players were offered new contracts, and if Arteta were to be offered a new deal, it would have made sense to offer him one then.
The main problem with Arteta at Arsenal now is that he’s past his prime and there are other players ready to fill his position. On top of that, he isn’t really the type of player we need.
We need midfielder who will attack, which we have in Özil and Wilshere, and we need a defensive midfielder. Arteta did take up the defensive role last season but it didn’t work out as well as hoped. He looked off the pace and a little out of his depth. He doesn’t create an awful lot and he isn’t a naturally a defensive player.
Arteta will have had more bad news if he is keeping up to date with what is in the newspapers. It is reported that we are looking to sign a new midfield enforcer, with both Sami Khedira and Morgan Schneiderlin linked to the club in the last couple of weeks.
If we do sign one of those players, it would appear that there are two possible solutions to Mikel Arteta’s future. Should Arsenal offer him a new deal, it will not be instead of signing a new centre midfielder. Arteta will have to accept that he will be a back up player, called in to action in the Capital One Cup and when someone else gets injured (probably Wilshere).
The second solution is that he either looks to leave the club this summer, or he runs down his contract and leaves on a free next season. It is rumoured that clubs such as Athletic Bilbao and Fiorentina are interested in signing him. It might be more beneficial for him to leave now whilst he has the years left in him.
Ultimately, whether or not Arsenal should offer him a new contract depends on its stipulations. If he is willing to be a back up player, by all means, keep him at the club for a couple more seasons. We are always in need of cover for injuries. But, if it comes down to signing a proper defensive midfielder, or offering Mikel a new contract, there is only one way to go; Adios Arteta.