Mustafi open to extending his stay at Arsenal
Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has been linked with a move away from the Gunners recently.
The 28 year old defender has now hinted that he could be open to staying at the club beyond this season.
The German international’s contract with Arsenal expires next summer and he is yet to sign an extension with them.
Apparently, Mustafi was unhappy with the lack of playing time under Unai Emery. However, the situation has changed since the arrival of Arteta and Mustafi has been a regular feature under the Spaniard’s management.
It will be interesting to see if the Premier League side can agree on a new deal with the German defender in the coming months.
Although he can be quite error prone at times, Mustafi would still be a very useful option for Arteta and Arsenal should look to keep him at the club.
A team of their stature needs more depth to challenge on all fronts and Mustafi could be an important squad player for them.
Speaking to the media before the Europa League clash, Mustafi said (via Express): “When I made a decision to sign for Arsenal it is because I respect this club.
“It is a huge club, that’s why for me if I could stay at Arsenal, of course, it would mean a lot to me.
“At the end of the day, it was important for me in the last three months to come back after the injury and to be ready to play and to help my team.
“When you hopefully get a few games, you can maybe look at the future but at the moment for me it has been difficult because in the last months, I haven’t really been thinking about the end of my contract or what’s going on with the future because all I wanted was to be back as quick as possible.
“I think I missed a few important games in the last months and I just wanted to be back as quick as possible, try and play a few games and then when the time comes, think about what’s next and hopefully we are going to have some news for you.
“At the moment I was just happy to come back from injury, it was three long months – I was happy just to come back and be able to play again. We haven’t been talking about anything so there isn’t anything I can tell you guys.
“Now for me, it is important to just get a few games and get into the match rhythm and then see how it goes.”