Cedric and Luiz deals indiciative of Arsenal's current sorry state

What a difference a week makes. Last Wednesday, David Luiz was trudging off the Etihad Stadium pitch on the back of a calamitous substitute outing, where he committed an error leading to a goal before conceding a penalty and being sent off in the aftermath in Arsenal's eventual 3-0 defeat at Manchester City. That showing culminated in the worst WhoScored rating performance by an outfield player in a Premier League match this season, as Luiz yielded a rating of just 3.81. 

Fast forward to the present day and supporters are bemoaning the decision to hand Luiz a new contract until the end of the 2020/21 season. When the Brazilian joined from Chelsea last summer it was believed he did so on a two-year deal, yet when it emerged it was a 12-month contract with an option to extend for a further year, an option that expired during the Coronavirus enforced lockdown, fans were hopeful that the disastrous showing in Manchester would be the last they saw of Luiz in an Arsenal shirt. 

Now, though, they'll have to contend with the 33-year-old for another season as Arsenal on Wednesday morning confirmed that Luiz, as well as fellow defenders Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares, would stay at the club beyond the end of the season. Mari and Soares joined from Flamengo and Southampton, respectively, on loan in January and Arsenal have taken up the decision to make their temporary moves permanent when the transfer window opens. 

Mari is now out for up to three months with an ankle injury sustained in the 3-0 loss at City and, when the deal is made permanent, coupled with William Saliba's availability, Mikel Arteta will be able to call upon no fewer than seven senior centre-backs next season, depending on the summer transfer activity. Yet with the defence arguably Arsenal's most problematic position, you get the impression all they are doing is throwing centre-backs at the issue with a quantity over quality approach rather than address the defence accordingly and improve. 

Saliba will be a fine addition to the squad, while Mari was solid in meetings with Portsmouth (7.38) and West Ham (7.37) prior to lockdown, so the Spaniard could yet come good for Arteta's Arsenal, but to hand Luiz new deal and keep him, and Mustafi, on the books, for the time being at least, is indicative of the issue at the Emirates at present. The defensive issues for Arsenal shouldn't be pinned entirely on this sieve-esque backline, but they're shipping 14.8 shots per game, the fifth highest in the Premier League, so it is rightly criticised. The long-term deal for Soares is being ridiculed, too, and deservedly so, but is their method to the madness? 

The right-back stands out because he hasn't played a single minute for Arsenal since his January arrival. Signed as a backup for Hector Bellerin, you'd have expected Soares to register that first appearance by now, yet injury has permitted the 28-year-old to a permanent spot on the sidelines, watching on as Arsenal lumber from crisis to crisis. That being said, he is a Premier League experienced right-back and while he won't pull up any trees for the north London side, when fit, Soares is at the very least, an able deputy for Bellerin and would allow Ainsley Maitland-Niles to hone his game on developing as a midfielder. Yet, taken at face value, Arsenal have signed a right-back who is yet to play for them on a four-year deal. It's a sorry state of affairs for a team that harbours ambitions to return to the Champions League.

The extension to Dani Ceballos' loan deal is also a boost given the lack of midfield options available for Arteta ahead of the meeting with Southampton. With Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira both sidelined for the foreseeable future, the decision to keep Ceballos until the campaign draws to a close was the right one for Arsenal to take up, particularly on the back of his upturn in form since Arteta took over the Emirates reins and the midfielder's return to fitness. 

Yet the quartet's deals paper over the ever-growing cracks with the north London side. Arteta wants a rebuild at the club, yet their already-stretched finances were dealt a further blow by the Coronavirus pandemic, but with the high earners unwilling to lower their wage demands and no team prepared to pay the asking price for those Arsenal want to sell on, that leaves the Gunners boss stuck between a rock and hard place. It is for that reason why Luiz saw his contract extended, and Mari and Soares will join on long-term deals this summer as they're cut price options to ensure a couple of experienced heads stick around because, at this point in time, they wouldn't have been replaced anytime soon. 

What is guaranteed now is that Arsenal are in for a bumpy ride over the coming months and while Arteta may prove to be the right man for the job in the long run, in the short-term; things are going to get worse before they get better for the Gunners.