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Arsenal have yet to decide on whether to hand David Luiz a new contract, manager Mikel Arteta has admitted.
The Gunners drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace last night, a game in which Luiz made his return to the starting XI.
But the Arsenal manager has said there is nothing on the table for Luiz as yet, despite the Brazilian’s deal being due to expire in the summer.
“We will see what happens. There are a lot of things happening around the club, a lot of decisions to make. I don’t want to rush any decisions,” Arteta said. ()
“I just want players to be focused. They know that they have six months left or eight months left, whatever it is, some of them a year. They know that. Their contracts are like that, we cannot change that. We cannot change all the contracts right now. I think it is time to be focused.”
Luiz, who earns a £100k-a-week, has been an influential figure under Arteta, helping the Gunners to FA Cup success last season and the Arsenal boss praised the experienced defender’s character and influence just this week.
However, with a number of defenders on the books and William Saliba due back in the summer, Luiz’s future remains uncertain.
TBR View: A big call needed here, Arteta has to make a clear decision
Luiz doesn’t seem to be causing any issues and he knows he is in to the latter stages of his career anyway. However, Arteta needs to make a call here and draw a line under the situation before the season ends.
The last thing Arteta wants is to lose Luiz for nothing then be scrambling around in the summer for a suitable replacement.