1 Summer Transfer Rumour Arsenal Fans Do Not Want to Come True

It’s customary for football fans to spend the transfer window excitedly pondering who might arrive at their club. However, this summer Arsenal fans will be investing their emotional energy in worrying about any potential departures.

In the second half of last season, the Gunners found an excellent balance in their team, and Spaniard Santi Cazorla was integral to that formula. It’s essential that the diminutive playmaker remains with the club this summer.

For some time now, stories have suggested he may be looking to return to his homeland. Back in February, Guillem Balague told SkySports that Atletico Madrid were confident they could prise Cazorla away from the Emirates Stadium:

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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.

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However, if Arsene Wenger had ever given any consideration to letting Cazorla leave, those thoughts have surely subsequently been banished from his mind.

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Cazorla actually began the 2014/15 season as the odd man out in Arsenal’s midfield, struggling to hold down a regular place amid competition from the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Jack Wilshere. When he did take the field, it tended to be as a wide playmaker, cutting infield from the left flank.

While he was always a joy to watch, he did not exert the influence you’d expect of a player with his remarkable gifts.

That all changed when an injury crisis prompted Wenger to shift Cazorla into a deep-lying central midfield role. It’s a position he had filled occasionally while at Malaga, and he took to it superbly in the Premier League.

Initially, there were concerns over Cazorla’s capacity to cope with the physical buffering he’d take in the middle of the park. However, he quickly dispelled any doubts. His quick feet and low centre of gravity enabled him to twist and turn away from his markers, ambidextrously navigating his way through the most congested parts of the pitch.

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Crucially, he struck up an unlikely but effective partnership with Francis Coquelin. If someone had predicted at the start of the season that Arsenal’s midfield would be anchored by a journeyman reserve and the shortest player in the squad, they would have been laughed out of north London.

Nevertheless, the pair dovetailed brilliantly to propel Arsenal towards a third-place finish and an FA Cup triumph.

For his part, Cazorla seems keen to see if he can improve upon that next season. He told Amy Lawrence of the Guardian:

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We finished the season very strong. We would obviously like to prepare ourselves a lot better for the upcoming season, for a better placement in the Champions League as well as the Premier League.

I see we have a very strong team. What we need to work on is consistency and our mental toughness to get to the next level. We know we can do that. Yes, Chelsea is strong; yes, they won the Premier League, but without a doubt we have a team that is strong enough to do so. We just have to work on fine tuning.

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Perhaps Arsenal’s progress has convinced him to put off thoughts of home for the time being. If so, that’s a tremendous boost to Arsenal’s chances of a title challenge next year. Cazorla might not have commanded the exorbitant transfer fee of a Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez, but he is every bit as vital to the Gunners’ hopes of lifting the Premier League.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2015-16 season. Follow him on Twitter here.