David Luiz has come under fire for that nightmare against Man City – and rightfully so – but he might deserve some credit here.
Many Arsenal fans might have been dismayed that he was awarded a new contract after a season of inconsistency, but a report from The Metro has suggested it only happened after he took a significant pay cut.
They quote The Telegraph in saying that he took a big cut on his previous wage of £120k per week, and it’s allowed the club to make some additional moves too.
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They go on to say that this allowed Arsenal to add Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari on permanent deals, so there are some positives in this from the club.
The Telegraph report also suggests Technical Director Edu and Mikel Arteta wanted to keep him around for his experience and leadership behind the scenes, but the fans might be split on this.
They can rightfully point out that they could have made these signings anyway if the club released him, and that would also give them additional funds to try and add a more competent defender to the team too.
Only the coaching staff and players will know how significant his influence is, but only time will tell if this is a good piece of business or not.