Steven N’Zonzi has signed a contract extension at Sevilla, despite heavy interest from the Premier League trio of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Sevilla have emerged as a potential threat to the top three of La Liga – Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid – this season. The squad morale looks to be at an all-time high and perhaps is a reason why Steven N’Zonzi has snubbed Premier League interest to sign a contract extension with the club.
Sevilla’s official website has confirmed that the 27-year-old Frenchman has extended his deal to till 2020, with the contract including a release clause as well, the value of which is yet to be revealed.
N’Zonzi has grown leaps and bounds since moving to Spain after spells at Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers. The tenacious midfielder has become a mainstay and a key component in the Sevilla first team setup and under Jorge Sampaoli, has been one of the pillars of the side’s current success story.
Such has been the growth of N’Zonzi that he has been linked with a return to the Premier League, albeit this time to one of the top clubs. Chelsea have been lacking depth in the midfield department and had been linked with moves for various central midfielders including Franck Kessie and N’Zonzi.
? @SNZ_officiel renews his contract with #SevillaFC
He has signed until 30 June 2020 pic.twitter.com/XaEiRET33w
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) January 31, 2017
Arsenal have been having their own troubles in the pivot role. The holding midfield duo is yet to be finalised by Wenger, who has preferred Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla. But, Cazorla’s injury has seen Xhaka become a regular at the position.
The Swiss though is notorious for his tendency to pick up sanctions, has missed many games due to suspensions and has received early showers as well, putting the Gunners in precarious positions on the field. Given the situation, Wenger was linked with a move for N’Zonzi as a back-up.
Manchester City is perhaps the club that needs midfield reinforcements the most. Guardiola has brought the once-beleaguered Yaya Toure back into the fold, but is seeking a replacement for the Ivory Coast international along with a player who can provide able support to Fernandinho in the middle of the park.
The former Bayern boss had identified N’Zonzi as the perfect addition to the squad at Etihad. But, it seems the 27-year-old is set to stay at Sevilla, till the end of the current campaign at the very least.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City will now have to look elsewhere at the eleventh hour if they become desperate to add to their squad in January itself. N’Zonzi’s contract does have a release clause though, and the trio could very well return in the summer for the in-form Frenchman.
