While although there is action taking place in the Taiwan Premier League, there is not a lot happening in Europe and although Belarus has avoided any pause inactivity, the same cannot be said about the English Premier League.
With England’s top domestic competition being placed in a state of hiatus, there is the overriding question as to how the season is completed and whether ruling it null and void is the best option for all parties involved.
One of those parties is Arsenal and with the North London outfit undertaking a positive run of momentum under new manager Mikel Arteta, a break in activity is the last thing that the former Manchester City assistant would be looking for.
However, this pause in proceedings does at least give the Gunners the opportunity to assess their transfer strategy for whenever the window re-opens and the most pertinent piece of business will be to tie down Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a new contract.
The Gabonese forward has been linked with a move away from the Emirates, with Spanish giants Barcelona acting as the name that has been repeatedly been connected to a transfer bid and usually what the Catalonian outfit wants, the Catalonian outfit gets.
The threat of Aubameyang moving to Barcelona is one that certainly cannot be ignored and when you consider that the former Borussia Dortmund forward is now 30 years of age, he may feel that he has one last big move left in him.
Not to mention that there is the likelihood of Arsenal once again having to make do with playing in the Europa League and with Aubameyang weighing up the prospect of once again not playing in Europe’s elite, it might be one season to many as far as he is concerned.
Which begs the question, what next for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta? The club have lost big names in the past and not necessarily missed a step, although you do get the feeling that a departure of this nature, is one that would be a big blow.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he has completely recovered from coronavirus ? https://t.co/3lagvzY0de #AFC pic.twitter.com/RR86PhAho2
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 10, 2020
That said, Arteta has recently gone on record to Sky Sports and said that he is confident of the fact that Aubameyang will sign a new contract and although that will give Arsenal supporters a confidence boost, nothing is ever confirmed until pen is put to paper.
This means the Arsenal manager is going to have to prepare several scenario’s going into whenever the off-season comes around and the ability to buy and sell players once again becomes available to all.
Not only that but the club also currently have two loan players within their ranks and a decision will have to be made on the futures of both Cedric Soares and Dani Ceballos and whether they return to Southampton and Real Madrid respectively.
While if there is one positive from the current break in action, it does at least give Arsenal more time to plan for the future and more importantly, additional time in which to tempt Aubameyang to sign a new deal.
Should their talisman commit his future to Arsenal, it would undoubtedly be a huge boost to Arteta’s burgeoning tenure at the club and it would also be a real statement of intent for the 2017 F.A. Cup winners.
A statement that says ‘this is a club that can not only hold on to its key players but is also building for a very positive future’ and although it took a while for the team to click under their new manager, life is certainly looking rosy for Arsenal under Arteta.
Which is why the halt in the Premier League schedule has come at a rather awkward time and with Arsenal’s momentum halted, there is the question as to whether they will be able to finish the season strongly.
Of course, with no-one knowing when the action will resume, its hard to surmise just how everything will resolve and whether Arsenal will finish in a position that pays out a European place at the end of it.
But ultimately it is more about the personnel for next season (whenever it finally starts) and if Arsenal can hone their transfer strategy and keep their key asset, then they may be in a position to challenge for the very top honours once again.
