Arsenal positives and negatives David Luiz contract extension

Arsenal are set to hand David Luiz a new one-year contract that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2021/22 campaign, with Mikel Arteta being impressed with central defender.

As has been the case in north London for years, players over the age of 30 generally only receive 12 month extensions – as witnessed with David Luiz‘s most recent deal – with the exception of Willian proving precisely why those decisions are made.

Luiz being kept on for another year drew widespread discontent from supporters after the news emerged in the aftermath of his horror show away at Manchester City last season. With talk of a deal in offing after a morale-boosting 4-2 win over Leeds in the Premier League, does the circumstances of the information alter the end result?

It shouldn’t.

Positives and negatives as Arsenal are set to hand David Luiz new one-year contract

The Brazilian is 33 years old and as the squad moves away from ageing, inconsistent players of the past, being ushered into a new era would in normal circumstances constitute a departure for someone of Luiz’s ilk. This isn’t the feeling of Arteta, who the Independent state due to his importance within the squad and as a mentor to the younger players looks set to remain in north London.

Luiz has been a divisive figure since making the short journey from Chelsea, offering qualities few centre-backs in the Premier League possess while equally bringing a recklessness and ill-discipline that, you guessed it, few centre-backs in the Premier League possess.

A wise move, or a foolish one? Let’s take a look at the reasons for and against tying the experienced central defender down for another season.

Negatives of New David Luiz Contract

Learning of this decision, the fanbase will likely be split immediately. The wool has been pulled over eyes by many different players who have decent spells of form in the team, altering the opinions of them only to return to old ways in due course.

Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi are prime examples, although the former’s latest corner turned looks like finally being a conclusive one even if his limitations remain.

Now 33 years old, it’s hard to see David Luiz ever being reliable for a consistent run of games, even less so than when he first joined. Arsenal terminating contracts and moving unwanted stars was demanded not just for footballing purposes but as a metaphorical changing of the guard. Arteta is edging closer to having his own squad, not one littered with the failings of past regimes. However, Luiz is largely considered as one such mistake.

In keeping him on, it indicates that the shift into a new era hasn’t been fully absorbed. Do Arsenal need him when there are two promising right-sided centre-backs returning from loan moves elsewhere in the summer? Is this further evidence of the stranglehold Kia Joorabchian has on this club?

Ability-wise, Luiz isn’t getting any better. He remains a weak one-vs-one defender and errors are still prevalent in his game. Also, while his wages were cut for the latest contract, £100k-per-week is still steep if his role is set to be bit-part at best.

William Saliba is coming back and hoped to be fighting for a regular berth in the team. Sign Luiz up again and it it runs the risk of Arsenal not be protecting their investments. Sceptics may even had he’ll stay on just to keep Willian company.

Is there sense in the deal, though? Absolutely there is.

Positives of New David Luiz Contract

Key to any one-year extension for Luiz are a lot of ‘if’s’. It’s a wise move if. His presence is helpful if.

Addressing the key factor in Arteta’s thinking first, Luiz is adored in the dressing room. It’s an element of the game that supporters aren’t witness to apart from the occasional five-minute training ground video, but from every pore of the club permeates the same mantra: Luiz is a vital, experienced head.

As a mentor to the young players and as a senior figure to help the transition for those breaking into the first team, his role in that regard is not disputed. Cheap speculation that Arteta and Luiz don’t speak was evidently a load of tosh.

Just because Luiz stays on, doesn’t mean he has to play every week. A justified response to that is, why bother in the first place? Well, if he’s hovering around the 15 appearance mark and used for FA Cup and Carabao Cup matches then the off-field experience and know-how are balanced out. At least in Arteta’s eyes. Luiz does have the occasional commanding display in him as Arsenal will know from last season’s FA Cup heroics.

Tactically he offers a different option in central defence to those on the books. His distribution breaks lines in ways that are otherwise not accessible if teams press high, just like Leeds. When on-song his diagonal switches are better than any other centre-back in the side.

Building a team with all the right ingredients for a sustained push for a top four berth next season includes striking a balance between youth and experience. Luiz fits the mould of the latter.

If he signs as expected it also offers an insight into future summer plans. Who goes and who stays becomes clearer with him on the roster.

Arsenal’s Summer Transfer Plans Made Clearer

Konstantinos Mavropanos and William Saliba are both due back in north London in the summer, complementing the five centre-backs already on the books. Arsenal don’t need seven central defenders.

Saliba will compete for a place in the starting lineup next season, and while Mavropanos signed a new contract prior to his loan move to the Bundesliga, that’s set to be with a view of garnering a decent fee at the end of the season. His impressive form points towards a tidy profit.

As for Calum Chambers, he also appears on the move elsewhere. Come the summer he’ll only have one more year left to run and all signs indicate a summer sale.

The options at centre-back are stronger than they’ve been for a while. Rob Holding has come up leaps and bounds and will have Saliba as competition, while Gabriel continues to develop and Pablo Mari has proven himself to be a reliable figure on the left side of defence. If Mavropanos and Chambers are sold, Luiz can take up the slot of fifth choice on ideally lowered wages.

Above all, it means focus can be put on other areas of the squad that need strengthening. A centre-forward, left-back, central midfielder, permanent creative midfielder and goalkeeper are arguably all more important in the summer than a new central defender. That area can then be looked at further down the line.