Arsenal ace Willian has urged his new teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stay with the Gunners as he is eager to link up with him next season.
The 31-year-old was hugely influential for Arsenal again last season as he bagged 29 goals and three assists in 44 appearances as they ended the year on a high note having lifted the FA Cup.
SEE MORE: Exit touted: Interest builds in €40m-rated Arsenal ace with trio of Euro giants keen
The Gunners and boss Mikel Arteta will hope to build on that moving forward, and they swooped quickly to bring in Willian this summer on a free transfer after his departure from Chelsea.
While it remains to be seen if further reinforcements arrive to bolster the squad and make them more competitive, there is a lot of concern still over Aubameyang’s future as his current contract expires next summer.
As they look to secure his long-term future and avoid the threat of losing him for nothing next year, Arsenal will be desperate to agree on new terms with their talismanic forward, and Willian is hopeful that an agreement will be reached too.
“I joined Arsenal because we can challenge for titles but Pierre will be a big part of the plan,” he told The Sun. “He has to stay, it is very important to me.
“This is a guy who gets 25-30 goals a season and we have to keep a player like that.
“He’s one of the best players in our team and somebody I want to be making chances for.”
Time will tell if he gets his wish or not, but it promises to be a crucial few weeks as given his importance to the side, it is imperative that Arsenal keep Aubameyang in north London this summer and try to build on what they’ve achieved so far under Arteta.
Further, as noted by Willian, he will be important in attracting more top names to the club this summer, and so it’s vital that a deal is struck between the two parties to show their ambition and ability to compete.