Arsenal: Santi Cazorla Deal Must Have Stipulations

Arsenal are ready to open talks with Santi Cazorla, but this can’t be the same kind of deal that he is used to. There must be stipulations.

This year, Arsenal has learned that there is no replacing a missing Santi Cazorla. He is such a big piece of this offensive puzzle that the club can often feel naked without him. It’s rather startling, actually, when considering the wealth of midfield talent that we have.

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As such, it’s not surprising to hear that Santi Cazorla is being offered a new deal. He deserves it. He wants to stay at the Emirates and we have no reason to sell him. Wenger’s old ruthless self might have sold him, but it’s not like he could fetch a fortune for a 32 year old midfielder, even if it is Cazorla.

That being said, this new deal has to be different. Again, he is 32 and for as much as he is a vital facet of this offense, he simply cannot be relied upon in the same capacity that he once was. That’s not at all because he is losing his effectiveness, it’s just a matter of protecting ourselves from his absences.

A 32-year old undersized midfield who is showing more signs of getting hurt more frequently. That’s the problem that Cazorla poses. These past two years, after a career of staying relatively healthy, he has been in and out of the operating room and it has left Arsenal crippled because they don’t have faith in anyone else to do that job.

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I am all for keeping Cazorla, but he cannot have the same dose of responsibilities. Let Wilshere do it, put faith in Ramsey or bring on Isco, but there has to be that infamous Plan B for when Cazorla is hurt and that starts with giving him an understudy or a competitor or something.

Arsenal is deep enough now that we have to start thinking worst case scenarios to plan ahead and there are only two real areas where that worst case scenario can really hurt us – Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla.

Neither of the two midfielders can be amply filled in for. Ozil is not as much of a risk because he is not a huge injury risk, but as we are seeing this year, Cazorla is and that isn’t going to change as he gets older.

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Protect our weak spots, even if they don’t feel that weak just yet.