Unfortunately, Santi Cazorla – one of the most influential players Arsenal have used this season – is likely to miss most of what is left of this season. According to Squawka, the 31-year-old midfielder is set to undergo surgery after his achilles injury turned out to be a lot more serious than first thought. Recovery will last for at least 3 months and that is if everything goes well. Add to that a couple of games played for the Gunners’ second team just to get back on his feet and a return date is set for April most likely.

Looking at the way things are right now, the fight for the Premier League title will carry on right until the very end which means it could be risky to use Cazorla instead of a player who performed throughout the season and has all the proper match fitness built. Sure, the Spaniard has been around for a while and knows the way Arsenal play but his injury has gone from being simply inflammation of the achilles to reportedly needing surgery which is a real concern.

Before the injury, Cazorla’s performances clearly merited a contract extension as he looked great and had scored a couple of fine goals in his 7 appearances where he was pulling the strings in the Gunners’ midfield. The midfielder has yet to negotiate a new contact with the club up to this point in time as far as we kniw. He is turning 32 this month and his contract ends in the summer.. Given his complicated injury situation now it is hard to see Arsenal offering him a new deal until they know the state of his injured achilles. This means his contract may be left to run out which could signal Cazorla looking to return to Spain to play for Atletico Madrid or go to Italy to play for AC Milan. Santi Cazorla has said that he would like to sign another deal at Arsenal but given his injury and his contract situation he may end up leaving the club. Most fans recognize the importance of Cazorla and will be hoping he can return in good time to play more of a role in the side this year and secure a new deal to remain an Arsenal player.