Danny Welbeck to Bide Time at Arsenal with Unai Emery Cagey on Contract Talk

Danny Welbeck has indicated he is prepared to bide his time at Arsenal after manager Unai Emery would not be drawn on discussing the striker's future at the club. 

Welbeck, who is in the final year of his contract with the Gunners, scored twice as they beat Brentford 3-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Per Giuseppe Muro of the Evening Standard, he said:

"You have got to wait for your opportunity. A few of the lads had a bit more of a pre-season than me which made it a bit difficult, I came a back a bit later than the others. 

"I got 90 minutes last week, 90 minutes [on Wednesday], and I'm just going to build on it from there and keep improving."

When asked if he wanted Welbeck to remain at the club beyond the end of the season, Emery told James Benge of the same outlet:

"There are three situations when we are speaking with the individual: the club, the player and the team. My focus is the team.

"I know they have a year left on their contracts and are speaking with the club but for me the focus is only on the performance, each match and training session.

"Their future is important but it's like that. The performance and commitment of the player is very high: Aaron [Ramsey] and Welbeck. The situation with the club is for them."

The match was only Welbeck's second start of the season in what was his sixth appearance.

His brace put him level with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on four goals for the campaign, having played less than half of the Gabon striker's 539 minutes. Alexandre Lacazette also found the net against Brentford, which was his third of the season.

Football writer James McNicholas is happy to see the Englishman playing well this year:

The 27-year-old left Manchester United in the hopes of securing a starting centre-forward berth at the Emirates Stadium, but his time at Arsenal has been affected by injuries, which has often seen him restricted to a back-up role.

When he has played, his versatility and work rate have made him a viable choice out wide and as such he has frequently been deployed there rather than up front, just as he was at Old Trafford.

Because of the presence of Aubameyang and Lacazette—the club's two most expensive signings and two of Europe's most prolific goalscorers in recent years—Welbeck isn't likely to enjoy too many starts as a centre-forward at Arsenal in the near future.

However, he has shown this season he can be a valuable asset:

If he can continue to make such contributions when called upon, Arsenal will be happy to keep him at the club with a new deal.

Welbeck seems content with his situation as things stand, but if his opportunities are limited in the coming months he may seek to leave in January or next summer in search of a new club that will hand him the role he wants.

He might struggle to find that without taking a step down from the Gunners, but he'd likely have plenty of suitors to choose from.