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…

Arsenal Can’t Lose Arthur Okonkwo in Summer Transfer Window

More so than Taylor-Hart, Okonkwo already flirted with the senior set up last season and has been in and around the first team for large spells. Last term he made the bench on three occasions in the Europa League, including both legs of the semi-final against Villarreal, and regularly takes part in first team training.

An offer has been made to him and it’s vital that he be tied down. Only 19 years old, Okonkwo is considered one of the finest young talents at the club and at a point where the goalkeeping situation at Arsenal is far from cemented, a homegrown option such as him becomes even more important.

Bernd Leno’s future remains a source of uncertainty even if nothing is likely to happen on that front until after the Euros, although before that Andre Onana may be signed from Ajax. Whether Onana arrives being able to play again in August or February, it still spells the end for Leno.

Alex Runarsson was a wasted outlay and where possible will be moved on this summer, which starts to open up a pathway for Okonkwo. Just like all young players, offering them clarity of selection and their future is key. Okonkwo has that.

As for his ability, he wrestled his way past Karl Hein in the pecking order over the course of last season, and when featuring demonstrates strong penalty box commanding and sharp movement across the ground. His tall frame helps him in both aspects.

Highly-rated, deals such as these need concluding with a vision laid out for what may come.