Sagna to stay at Arsenal as trophies beckon

Bacary Sagna did not have his best season for Arsenal last time around, not by a long way. At his age, we should not be too surprised that the recovery from two bad leg breaks in one year took a bit longer than we would have liked. Add to that his criticism of the club’s ambitions after selling van Persie and Song in the summer, while he stalled on his decision whether to renew his contract with the Gunners, and it is safe to say that he was not the most happy and popular player at the club.

However, it is now looking like the French right back will still be an Arsenal player next season. There are talks ongoing about a contract extension, but the really significant thing, for me, is that Sagna seems to have renewed belief that he can win some silverware at the Emirates. Surely this is not merely because Arsenal finished last season well. Sagna must be expecting some quality additions to the squad.

He said, “The fact is that I am still at Arsenal and I am looking forward to playing next season.

“Arsenal made me grow as a player and as a man. People have been talking about me going back to France, but at the moment I am at Arsenal.

“I truly believe we can be successful. I truly believe we can be champions or I wouldn’t be playing football. I would have gone already. I truly believe we can succeed with the team we have.”

I think that Sagna will stay at Arsenal without signing a new contract, at least until January. Then we will have a much better idea of just how much chance of winning trophies the team really has and how ambitious the board and manager are.