Arsenal: David Luiz’s contract extension was a huge surprise

David Luiz’s contract extension at the beginning of the season was a huge shocker!

The news that Arsenal will not be extending the Brazilian’s stay in North London is not as big a surprise as it was to hear that they were renewing his old deal with a one-year extension, at the start of the current campaign.

It was said by Mikel Arteta at the time, Luiz was an important figure in the squad and he needs the defender’s presence in the dressing room as well as on the pitch.

Not many imagined they would extend his stay considering the 2019/2020 campaign where they ended in eighth with 48 goals conceded – the second-highest total by a team who finished in the top 10 that season.

When you include his pair of red cards for 2019/20, many alarm bells went off. Funny enough and what added even more confusion, at the time of the announcement and discussion of his new deal, the EPL season just reopened following the shutdown due to the COVID pandemic.

All English Premier League

His restart run consisted of 25 minutes of football played, a red card, and a strong contribution in their 0-3 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad.

He was on his way out ahead of the contract renewal and the new era was beginning under Arteta with other plans in place – plans that didn’t include David.

Was it for his experience and the fact he was Brazilian, knowing who their targets were for the current campaign? They brought countrymen Willian on a free from Chelsea and Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille on a permanent deal reported to be £27m.

Magalhaes and Luiz has formed a partnership that needs large improvement. They’ve conceded 10 fewer goals (38 goals conceded this season) compared to their 48 of last season but they sit in ninth in the Premier League standings on 55 points.

At best they can end the season with 61 points, five points better off than last season’s 56, and an outside chance to end 5th – but every team from 5th and 8th must lose all of their respective games for that to happen.

Impossible? Undeniably!