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Arsenal: Fantastic Frenchman Lay The Perfect Foundation
![By joshjdss [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F0aa1b37397c535d87162f1a560130700787860056fb90bf4d6917854a3bc723d.jpg "By joshjdss [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin have all signed new Arsenal deals, laying the perfect foundation for Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Arsenal and contracts are, in recent memory, at least, very rarely a happy marriage. Arsene Wenger has rarely been able to lock down the long-term futures of many of his star players and this season is paying the price for such naivety, innocence and near foolishness.
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Much has been made of the issues that the club have had in nailing down deals for both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. The two most talented, most influential players in the squad have delayed talks on numerous occasions throughout the past 12 months while also spouting their happiness in North London and their desire to stay with the club.
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The two seemingly biggest hurdles to overcome for both are their wage demands and the uncertain future of the club, mainly that of Wenger and many other established members in the squad. Whilst the former is still is a major issue, recent news has been positive in settling the latter concerns. On Thursday morning, Wenger revealed that Arsenal have extended the deals of Olivier Giroud, Francis Coquelin and Laurent Koscielny in a wonderfully positive statement:
"“We are very pleased that three important members of our team have committed to us for the long term. Francis has made tremendous technical strides over the past few years because he’s so focused every day. Olivier has big experience in the game now and has become a more and more complete player since joining us. Laurent is, of course, a key part of our squad and I believe one of the best defenders in the world today. So overall, this is great news for us.”"
This is undoubtedly great news. Although precise details of the respective deals have not yet been confirmed – Koscielny did say on twitter that he has signed with the club through 2020 – it is nonetheless the perfect foundation for Wenger to now settle many of the contract concerns that the fans, the media and the club hold regarding Ozil and Sanchez.
Both are integral components to the recent success of the squad, they are tremendously talented players and have only heightened their productivity and their importance since Sanchez has undertaken the positional switch into a more central role.
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The prevailing feeling surrounding the Ozil and Sanchez situations is sheer uncertainty. There are numerous conflicting reports, very little concrete information and a whole lot of doubts and questions. This recent news, then, is the perfect start for Wenger to begin answering the worryingly vast array of anxiety.