Arsenal: 2 very important contracts to sort this summer

All the talk so far this summer has heavily centred around who will be leaving the first team and which star names will come in to replace them. Arsenal and their mountain of work stretches beyond the senior side though, with the club anxiously waiting for Arthur Okonkwo and Kido Taylor-Hart to make decisions on their futures.

When the club announced its released players list, the inclusions of David Luiz and Dani Ceballos came as no surprise. However, that list also featured those contracts officially end on June 31, 2021, with some obvious omissions.

Two of the club’s most exciting young prospects also see their deals end on those dates, with their names not featuring a sign that Arsenal want the two to be held on. As of yet, the club still waits.

As per Chris Wheatley, Arsenal have offered contracts out to both players in the hopes of them extending their stays with the club. At a time where it’s all Emi Buendia this and Martin Odegaard that, tying down the talent whom could become Premier League regulars or move on to pastures new is equally as important.

Arsenal: 2 very important contracts to sort this summer as Mikel Arteta builds squad for the future

Taylor-Hart has impressed in the Under-18’s before making the step up to the Under-23 side where he netted four goals in 13 games from the left wing, including the equalising goal against West Ham on the final day of the season that spared the side from relegation.

A winger who can also play centrally, Taylor-Hart is garnering huge interest from across Europe as he mulls over his future. Richard Garlick’s arrival as head of football operations will help smooth over any details, even if the offer has been on the table since March.

Skillful and versatile, Taylor-Hart is a player that hasn’t had the chance to prove himself in senior football and getting him signed to a new deal can be done with a view to a potential loan or a regular run in the Under-23 sides. Such talent can’t slip the Gunners’ grasp again.

Folarin Balogun’s situation was a total mess, one played out in the public and that was allowed to drag on for far too long. Now signed up long-term, players such as Taylor-Hart can use the striker’s pathway to first team football as encouragement, although the manner of the discussions could imply further ugly sagas.

However, in goal is another talent, one who finds himself in a similar scenario and is an essential piece of business to conclude.

Continued…