Switzerland international Stephan Lichtsteiner has said that he has yet to make his mind up over a new contract with Arsenal beyond the current campaign.
The 35-year-old was Unai Emery’s first signing of the summer after joining on a free transfer and he has since garnered 20 starts in the Premier League and Europa League alone.
Despite this, the veteran has recently struggled for gametime with just one start in the past month, and he has now admitted that he is partly concerned by the situation.
Speaking exclusively to Neue Zurcher Zeitung, the right-sided defender acknowledged that he is very happy to have joined the Gunners, but that does not mean that he would want to remain a squad player.
He added that he needs to keep playing regularly to remain in contention for next year’s European Championship with the national side, and the failure to receive assurances of the same from Unai Emery may witness him leave on a free this summer.
“This will need time. The fact that I play at a top club at the age of 35 says enough. There have been talks [with Arsenal]. We have to see if it suits both sides,” he told the Swiss publication.
“Arsenal is a big club, I feel very happy. But I want to play regularly with regard to the European Championships. It was okay this year. But if the coach says that he no longer counts on me, I have to worry.”
Lichtsteiner has struggled to make a strong impression with the Gunners this term and this was very much expected, considering he has entered the twilight of his professional career.
Nonetheless, it appears that the Swiss captain wants regular gametime to stay put, and it will be interesting to see what Emery decides when the season concludes.
At the moment, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has evolved into the first-choice for the right wing-back role in a changed 3-4-1-2 formation, but the Gunners don’t have much quality backup behind him.
With Hector Bellerin sidelined with a long-term knee injury, the club are left with Lichtsteiner, Carl Jenkinson and Shkodran Mustafi to assume the deputy role, but none of them have sufficiently impressed.
Jenkinson has perhaps been the better of the trio with the odd appearance this year, but his future is likewise hanging in the balance with his contract expiring in the summer.
Arsenal could solve the concern by pursuing another recruit, but the reported £45m transfer kitty could be better served in sorting out the main conundrum which has lied at the heart of the backline.
