Should Arsenal offer David Luiz a new contract this summer?

With tedious international fixtures currently taking centre stage and domestic football soon drawing to a close, the transfer rumour mill has gathered momentum this week and it looks like there is a big summer in store for Arsenal.

From uncertainty surrounding the future of academy starlet Folarin Balogun to the prospect of intense negotiations in trying to prise Martin Odegaard away from Real Madrid, the Gunners are expecting a busy off-season as Mikel Arteta’s rebuilding project begins to take shape. However, another future that will be decided over the coming months is that of the inscrutable David Luiz.

Signing Luiz to address our defensive frailties was always likely to raise eyebrows among Arsenal fans, and the obituaries were written for the Brazilian’s north London career following his disastrous cameo against Manchester City during Project Restart, where a penalty/red card/individual error triple-whammy prompted Jamie Carragher to declare we had seen the last of him in the Premier League.

However, nine months and a new contract later and our madcap defensive experiment has finally paid dividends, with Luiz now forming an important part of the Arsenal jigsaw.

Has David Luiz done enough this season to remain an Arsenal player beyond the summer?

The former Chelsea man has featured consistently in the side during our post-Christmas revival and has looked very assured alongside either Gabriel or Pablo Marí, evidenced by his sharing of the remarkable honour of being one of only three players across Europe’s top five leagues to have played 900+ minutes this season and not to have been dribbled past.

While such impressive performances may have come as a surprise for many observers, the Brazilian’s undeniable ball-playing ability, incredible experience at the highest level and reported leadership in the dressing room suggest there was always a possibility his acquisition could be a smart decision.

Of course, there are arguments to be made against offering him a new deal. Luiz is admittedly reaching the twilight of his career and, irrespective of current form, his rash, impulsive nature means he can never be relied upon. Should we therefore embrace the future rather than offer the veteran another one-year extension?

His case is somewhat weakened by both the surplus numbers we currently have in the defence and the impressive loan spells William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos are enjoying on the continent, which suggest Arsenal will look to move on at least one centre-back this summer.

However, considering the relative inexperience of our loan stars, as well as his own suitability to Arteta’s plans, offering Luiz a new deal, even if only to be a back-up option, could prove to be a shrewd move.