Arsenal: Miguel Azeez transfer stance revealed ahead of contract expiry

Arsenal’s to-do list stretches the length of the Emirates turf, with countless decisions to be made on senior members of the squad. Beyond the first-team, there are academy graduates whose futures need resolving, including Miguel Azeez, who the club have made a decision on.

Folarin Balogun has had his name in the headlines for the best part of a year, as talks to tie the striker down beyond his contract expiring in the summer have failed to produce an amicable result thus far.

Free to speak to clubs across Europe and sign a pre-contract agreement, Mikel Arteta has repeatedly expressed his confidence in tying the 19-year-old down to a long-term deal even if his career in north London is far from assured.

It’s not just Balogun who is a free agent come the end of the season, as highly-rated midfielder Miguel Azeez also has less than six months to run on his contract having been with the club since the age of five.

Arsenal’s Miguel Azeez transfer stance revealed ahead of contract expiry

An offensive No. 6, among other explanations of his role, Azeez has been compared to Arsenal greats Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas, offering some insight into his varied skill set. An excellent reader of the game, athletic, boasting superb technique for someone of his mould and with a keen eye for goal, the hype surrounding him is not without merit.

Therefore it will come as little surprise that Arsenal are working on tying him down to the club on a long-term contract, report The Sun.

These claims come with some confusion, however. Reports in 2019 from All Nigeria Soccer insist that the deal Azeez signed was a long-term one, that included an option extend the midfielder’s deal by a further two years before the end of the 2021/22 season.

Given how little speculation there has been about his future despite being – some claim – free to leave in July, contract talks would surely run smoothly. The Gunners can’t afford to lose any of their best prospects, let alone one with a future as bright as Azeez, thus coming to the right conclusion has to be finalised swiftly.

Azeez made his senior bow in this season’s Europa League, coming on as a second half substitute in December’s 4-2 group stage victory over Dundalk.

Big changes in the centre of the park are to come in the summer, with Matteo Guendouzi, Mohamed Elneny and Lucas Torreira all set to be moved on. More will arrive, but there is space for Azeez to have greater involvement in the senior setup next year, or to move out on loan. Whichever of the two reports are to be believed, him staying in north London is an essential ingredient of the rebuild.