ARSENAL have less than 24 HOURS to decide whether to keep four of their players for the rest of the season.
David Luiz, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares and Dani Ceballos are almost at the end of their respective deals.
That of course has been complicated by the coronavirus pandemic which means June 23rd is the cut-off point.
Two games back into Project Restart and two defeats has left boss Mikel Arteta facing a tall order to bring back previous glories to the Emirates.
Here, SunSport takes a look at the four players in question, all with different complications that could threaten their futures in North London.
Contents
David Luiz
Gunners thought they had snaffled a bargain when they snapped up Luiz for just £8m from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
But Luiz has made a number of high-profile errors, the latest coming in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City when he gave away a penalty and was then sent-off.
After that game the defender said the defeat was “his fault” and then said that he “should have made a decision” about his future.
The option for the one-year extension is up and it’s anyone’s guess whether Arteta sees him as the future.
Pablo Mari
The Spaniard had looked decent in the few games he had played for Arsenal since joining on loan from Brazilian club Flamengo.
But an injury picked up in the Manchester City loss could have cost him his chance.
Mari’s loan is up and if no deal is agreed he could return to South America.
But the Gunners could exercise a buy-option for just £14m, and it’s clear he had added some steel int he backline before picking up his ankle injury.
Cedric Soares
Arsenal fans will be wondering just why Soares was ever signed in the first place.
The loan from Southampton could cost as much as £5m in total – despite the right-back never playing a game yet.
His contract at St Mary’s runs out on June 30, with it likely he won’t be getting a new one.
There will be eyebrows raised if he has done enough to prove to Arteta that he is worth an Emirates extension.
Dani Ceballos
The jury is still out on Ceballos, but fan site Arseblog is reporting that a deal has already been reached for the midfielder to see out the season.
Ceballos himself has given mixed messages regarding where he sees himself next season.
When he first joined on a season-long loan the 23-year-old hinted he would be keen to turn it into a permanent deal.
But only last month he said he still sees himself as “a Real Madrid player” and told TVE that he wants to fight for his place at the Bernabeu.
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By: John Hutchinson
Title: Arsenal must decide whether to keep David Luiz, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares and Dani Ceballos by TOMORROW
Sourced From: www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11922982/arsenal-transfer-luiz-ceballos-pablo-mari-soares/
Published Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2020 11:35:25 +0000
