Arsenal: What’s next in the Shkodran Mustafi story?

Unai Emery and Arsenal have some decisions to make throughout the squad. And of those rests on the future of Shkodran Mustafi. What comes next in the German’s story?

The international break seems to be longer than ever as Arsenal approach the last phase of their first season under a new era. A third-placed finish is up for grabs and the chance for a European trophy also appears a very high possibility.

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Every player has received an air of freshness and a rekindled enthusiasm since the coming of the new manager Unai Emery. Players have really stepped it up as nobody was guaranteed a starting spot as a result of the merciless attitude of the new manager. This, in reality, has been the motivation for the Gunners’ improvement.

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With that being said, one player has always been on the fringes of the first team and is yet to enjoy the uplifting boost that many of his teammates have. Yes, I am of course talking about Shkodran Mustafi.

Arsenal bought Mustafi for a hefty £35 million from Valencia back in 2016. Labelled as a relentless fighter who will do anything for the team, with an ability to make tackles at crucial moments, the German international has largely disappointed. In fact, since then, it would not be controversial to say that he has been one of the most inconsistent players at the club, drawing a whole lot of criticism from the fans, some of it fair, some of it not.

The label of mediocrity has always been placed on the centre-half. He always had the knack of leaking goals from individual errors and overcommitting himself, losing position and a compact structure. It has cost the team on numerous occasions.

However, the other side of the coin says that Mustafi has delivered some world-class performances. When he puts it all together, he does have the ability to be a very good defender.

He also plays with great passion and zeal. He has always given everything; if we look past his silly mistakes, there is an extremely committed, determined individual who loves the club and works incessantly for the team. Moreover, Mustafi has largely delivered in the big matches. It is as if he relishes the challenge of playing against the best strikers in world football.

But is that enough to deem him ‘good enough’ for Arsenal? Yes, looking past his individual errors, it is possible to see a decent defender there somewhere. But surely, in looking past his individual errors, you devalue his most crippling weakness and the biggest impact, positive or negative, that he has on matches?

We will soon discover what Emery does with Mustafi. The next chapter, if there is one, in his rather turbulent story will unfold in due course. For now, he simply has to hope that he can show enough that it is written positively.