Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hopeful that Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla will finally be back in action in the New Year.
Speaking after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Monday night, Wenger said: (quotes via Daily Star)
The first signs are positive
But still he has not played for one and a half years.
Cazorla’s last game for Arsenal was in October 2016, when the Gunners beat Ludogorets 6-0 in the Champions League; and the Spaniard’s last goal for the club came a month earlier in a 2-1 win over Southampton in the Premier League.
Wenger is optimistic about the midfielder’s return, though:
He is not in full training yet, he needs a few games with the reserve team.
So I think if all goes well, it will be after Christmas
Cazorla’s Arsenal contract runs out at the end of the current season, so the ex-Malaga man will want to get back to fitness and back into the first team squad so that he can earn an extension; Cazorla turns 33 in December this year so any complications with his comeback could spell the end for his Arsenal career.
Cazorla has made 180 appearances for the club since joining in from Spanish side Malaga in 2012.
