Football
Kevin Palmer 9y

Francis Coquelin almost certain to stay at Arsenal, says Arsene Wenger

LONDON -- Arsene Wenger has said midfielder Francis Coquelin is "99 percent certain" to sign a new Arsenal contract but added that there is "nothing to announce yet" about the future of club captain Mikel Arteta.

Last week, Arteta's agent said the Spaniard, who joined from Everton in 2011, had signed a one-year extension to his deal, but that has yet to be confirmed by the club.

Wenger was upbeat about the future of French midfielder Coquelin, whose deal expires in the summer, saying: "It is 99 percent [certain] that he will stay here."

The retention of Coquelin's services is set to be the final piece of contract news at Arsenal in this transfer window, Wenger indicated.

The Gunners signed Brazilian defender Gabriel Paulista from Spanish club Villarreal this week, and Wenger said: "If I wake up in the morning and somebody stands in front of my door who is an exceptional player, I will open the door -- but it looks very unlikely now. Numbers-wise, we look alright now, and [in terms of] quality as well."

The manager confirmed that Gabriel would be part of his squad for Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Emirates Stadium, saying: "He is ready to go -- he will be in the squad, certainly. He started training yesterday and he looks fit. He brings a lot to the squad.

#INSERT type:image caption:New arrival Gabriel Paulista will be in the squad for the weekend game against Aston Villa. END#

"He is a specialist in the centre-back position. We played many times this season with centre-backs out of position, with [Mathieu] Debuchy and [Nacho] Monreal. It gives us another specialist in this position. It was needed.

"What I see is a player who has great quality for a defender. He has great concentration and is physically able to adapt to the Premier League because he is a good size.

"He is quick as well. He has great commitment level in the challenges and he is young, 24 years old. That is a good age for a central defender."

However, Wenger said his new signing would "need some time to adapt because you need to get to know your defensive partners and, at the moment, he doesn't know a word of English and that can cost you goals."

The manager said striker Danny Welbeck had an outside chance of making a first-team return against Villa but was more likely to come back into action against Tottenham the following weekend.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlian believes Coquelin deserves his opportunity to step up for Arsenal, telling the club's official website: "He's been really patient and I'm sure there's been tough times for him since he's been at the club. As a young lad, sometimes you do feel the wrong end of that and those are the times when some people need to go out on loan to find their way. 

"He's been abroad and in the Championship but he's never lost his quality and sometimes it's all about luck and opportunities. Since he's come back, he's taken his opportunities, he's taken his chances to show how good he is and now I see him as a big part of our team."

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