Why Arsenal Cannot Afford Complacency over Santi Cazorla Contract

Speaking ahead of the Gunners' Premier League match with Crystal Palace, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was bullish about the prospect of keeping midfielder Santi Cazorla at the club.

However, they cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to the Spaniard’s future: Cazorla’s technical excellence is one of football’s few guarantees.

Earlier this week, Bleacher Report’s Guillem Balague told Revista de la Liga (h/t SkySports) that Atletico Madrid were confident about securing a deal for Cazorla this summer:

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He has 18 months left on his contract at Arsenal, and Atletico have contacted Cazorla’s entourage.

Atletico are convinced that they can persuade the player to join them. Then they just have to pay the money.

There will be one year left on his contract in the summer, and will be available for cheaper.

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However, when meeting the press to preview the Palace game, Wenger appeared to refute Balague’s claims. He told reporters that Cazorla has extended his deal and there has been no subsequent contact from Atletico:

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He extended his contract last year. He was 30 years old and he has two years to go. You know our policy at the club, so I don’t think there’s anything special to worry about there. The suggestion is only a suggestion. We have never been approached by anybody about him.

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Wenger is right to preach against panic. However, Arsenal cannot take Atletico’s interest too lightly.

It’s an oft-stated truism that contracts mean little in football. Player power is more often the determining factor in transfers, and if Cazorla decides he wishes to return to his native Spain, then Arsenal may find themselves in an awkward position.

It’s not inconceivable that Cazorla could wish to make a final big move back to Spain. Cazorla is 30 and will be aware that his next move could well be his last. Atletico are now a serious proposition with La Liga and Champions League credentials, and would enable him to return to his homeland. 

Wenger does not often keep an unhappy player at the club, and a transfer request would leave Arsenal in a quandary.

Arsenal must hope it doesn’t come to that, as Cazorla has become absolutely integral to their style of play.

In his press conference, Wenger admitted Cazorla has been the most reliable member of the Arsenal squad of late:

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Until now he has been maybe the most consistent, he has been voted player of the month twice in the last two months which means he has been remarkably consistent. Since he has moved centrally his influence on the team has been bigger as well.

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Cazorla spent most of last season playing wide on the left. However, a spate of midfield injuries have allowed him to return to the central role that saw him named the club’s Player of the Season in 2012/13.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

In recent weeks, he’s even dropped deeper alongside Francis Coquelin, using his quick feet and incisive passing to launch counter-attacks from inside his own half.

Few anticipated that Cazorla would have the necessary physical presence to flourish in the tumult of that part of the pitch, but a combination of technique and tenacity has seen him shine.

Cazorla has made himself invaluable to Arsenal. There's no immediate sign of his unhappiness—his beaming smile is accompanied by the best football of his career. However, it's essential that the Gunners continue to convince Cazorla that his future lies in England by delivering the success his remarkable talent merits.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.