New deals for Mertesacker and Sagna are being negotiated.
Arsenal are on the verge of tying up new contracts with defensive stars Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna according to manager Arsene Wenger.
Wenger on Sagna & Mertesacker contracts: “We are making good progress and hopefully we can announce something soon.”
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) January 17, 2014
#afc Wenger says Arsenal making “good progress” on Mertesacker and Sagna deals
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) January 17, 2014
This will be greeted as good new news by Gunners fans as the pair have been in great form this season and make up half of what has been a strong back four.
In recent years it has been said that the north London club have fallen short because of their lack of defensive credentials, but that has been righted this campaign.
Mertesacker has formed a brilliant central defensive partnership with Laurent Koscielny and Sagna and Kieran Gibbs have both been solid at full-back.
Many thought the right-back would be tempted by a return to Ligue 1 in the summer, with both AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain linked with the 30-year-old.
Yet these comments from Wenger signal that the back line will not have to be broken up at the end of the current term and that consistency should help breed success.
Sagna is one of the longest serving members of the squad at the Emirates Stadium, having joined from Auxerre in 2007 and playing 262 matches in all competitions since.
Mertseacker meanwhile was initially criticised when the German made the £8m switch to the club in 2011 from Werder Bremen, but has since developed into a top-class centre-back.
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