David Luiz, Cedric Soares, Pablo Mari sign new Arsenal contracts

Arsenal have a bit more clarity on what the defense is going to look like next season and going forward. Per David Ornstein, all three of David Luiz, Cedric Soares, and Pablo Mari have signed new contracts with Arsenal to take them beyond the end of this extended season. The wages on all three contracts are yet to be released.

Both Cedric and Mari signed four-year contracts that will keep them in North London through the end of the 2023-24 season. David Luiz’s new contract is a one-year deal.

Mikel Arteta said, basically, that he knew what he was getting into when he signed up to coach Arsenal and that joining midseason would allow him a head start on the work that needed doing. Arsenal’s roster is in need of remaking. These are Arteta’s first steps in that direction — these are all deals that he has said he wants on multiple occasions. He wanted these guys at Arsenal and now he has them.

Notably, Arsenal now have David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi, and Sokratis all on contracts that expire at the end of next season. Reports are that the club is shopping Rob Holding and Mustafi. With those possible sales and William Saliba returning from loan, the centerback stable could look very different as soon as September and definitely will look different to start the ‘21-’22 season.

We’ll have more in the coming days analyzing these moves and what they mean for the club going forward. I’m sure the opinions on these days will be varied, so please be nice to each other in the comments.