Arsenal hand one year extension to David Luiz and four year contracts to both Mari and Cedric
Arsenal have officially announced that David Luiz has signed a new one year contract, Ceballos’ loan deal has been extended to the end of the campaign and both Mari and Cedric have signed long term deals at the club.
Arsenal’s technical director Edu Gaspar spoke about securing these deals:
“I am really happy that we will have these players in our squad for the future. They have been part of the long-term technical plan Mikel and I have developed. They bring the right balance to our squad.”
“David is a really important player for us. He has played most of our matches this season and has been important for the team. His passing, his communication with the team on and off the pitch. He helps everyone.”
“With Pablo we’re all disappointed he got injured at Manchester City. Since Mikel arrived here he was asking for a central defender who was left-footed. We were really pleased with Pablo – his behaviour, the way he is training, his mentality and his quality. Unfortunately, he has that injury but of course we are really happy to keep him for the future.”
“Cedric is also going to be an important player. He has been unlucky with the injuries but he is close to being ready and gives us more strength in the right-back position. We’re also pleased Dani will finish the season here. He is making a good contribution and we look forward to him having a strong finish to the season.”
The Gunners have agreed four year deals with both Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.
There has been a lot of movement at Arsenal in the past 24 hours to sort out the futures of players with contracts that expire on June 30th. This is because the deadline to do so was midnight of June 24th which has now passed.
There was a lot of speculation surrounding David Luiz’s future at Arsenal especially in the aftermath of his horror show at the Etihad where he was at fault for two City goals and was dismissed from the game. Luiz has alternated between being a liability to the team and the club’s best centre back which has given rise to polarising views on the defender’s future at the Emirates. It has now been confirmed that he will be on Arsenal’s books for the next 12 months. Get ready for the ride.
Pablo Mari suffered an injury in Arsenal’s first game back against Manchester City that will see him miss the remainder of the campaign. The Spanish centre back signed for Arsenal on loan from Brazilian club Flamengo in January. Despite his injury which is likely to keep him out for up to three months, the Gunners have turned his loan move into a permanent one and agreed a four year contract with the defender.
Cedric Soares has yet to play a game for the Gunners. He was another January signing who came to the Emirates on loan from Southampton. He was injured when he signed for the club but suffered a setback to his recovery before football was suspended due to the coronavirus. Just as the season was restarted, a fit again Cedric suffered a facial injury which has caused him to miss the club’s first two Premier League matches. In spite of not making his debut for Arsenal, Cedric’s stay at the club has been extended and the Gunners have agreed a four year deal with the Portuguese full back.
