With Arsenal looking to build on last season's second-place finish, fans have been desperate for the club to tie down some of their star players to long-term deals.
Supporters want to know that the club has the ambition to compete, and the surest sign of that would be to ensure the men who make the club tick are willing to pledge their future to the Gunners.
So imagine the fans' delight when the club announced a brand new deal for
Mesut Özil Alexis Sánchez Francis Coquelin.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/819485265957883905
The Frenchman has agreed a deal to keep him in North London until 2020, as have compatriots Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny.
"Francis has made tremendous technical strides over the past few years because he’s so focused every day," Arsène Wenger told
Arsenal's official site.
And, while question marks still hang over the future of Özil and Alexis, that hardly matters when someone with Coquelin's ability is there for the long haul.
https://twitter.com/GunnerFaithful/status/819485546477187073
https://twitter.com/AdzCampbell91/status/819487677208788992
https://twitter.com/akichamp282/status/819486137274220545
Still, at least some were pleased to see the French trio commit their respective futures to the club.
Hang on a minute...
https://twitter.com/AFCMet/status/819485656586080256
https://twitter.com/aicha_AFC/status/819487366637350912
https://twitter.com/Hesfivefootfour/status/819488081946574849
https://twitter.com/ryan_defreitas/status/819492037393346560
https://twitter.com/Rupert_Fryer/status/819490638244749312
Francis Coquelin: fan favourite.
https://twitter.com/BeltransMole23/status/819524948549074944
