Many fans might expect Arsenal to get rid of some players this summer as Mikel Arteta tries to build a squad in his image, but releasing David Luiz on a free would be a surprise move.
Admittedly Arsenal’s defence has been suspect for a while now and the Brazilian hasn’t shown he’s a player who can help turn it into a solid unit, but he has been key this season.
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He’s played in 25 Premier League games and you would think his experience would be invaluable, but this report suggests that Arsenal don’t see him that way at all:
#afc‘s deal to sign David Luiz from #cfc was on an initial one-year contract with an option for a second. That option has not yet been taken up so he could leave this summer. Intriguingly, that raises the possibility he may go on June 30 – before the end of the 2019-20 season.
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) May 27, 2020
It’s important to say that it sounds like the option could still be picked up, but there’s a real possibility that it won’t be.
The remarkable thing here is that Arsenal would be letting a key defensive player go for free – but also it looks like the season will be finished in England so they face losing an important player with games left to play.
It suggests that Arteta is either writing this season off or just doesn’t value the Brazilian at all, but it would be a brave call.
You expect he might be on a big wage and that could be used to sign one or two quality replacements for next season, but it will be interesting to see how this turns out.