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Arsenal defender Stephan Lichtsteiner has admitted to Swiss media outlet Neue Zürcher Zeitung that he is unsure of his future at the Emirates Stadium.

What’s the word, then?

The 35-year-old was speaking whilst on international duty with the Switzerland team he’s captain of, implying to the football world that he doesn’t know what his future holds as his contract in north London runs out at the start of the summer transfer window.

Lichtsteiner was only signed on a one-year deal by Unai Emery last year and has struggled to hold down a regular place in his first season with the Gunners, making just 12 appearances in the Premier League, a chunk of them from the substitutes’ bench.

The attacking right-back and right-wing-back who has also been known to cover in other positions around the defence has enjoyed a distinguished career in which he’s represented clubs such as Juventus and Lazio and collected 104 Switzerland caps, but it appears to be set for another turn at the end of 2018/2019.

It’s been a fun season, but it’s time to move on

While Lichtsteiner has also waxed lyrical about how much he’s enjoyed his first campaign at the Emirates, it should go down as the first and last.

For large parts of the season, the vastly-experienced star has been nothing more than a fringe figure and there’s very little to suggest his contribution would be greatly missed should he leave in the summer.

One simply can’t see the veteran picking up more minutes in his second term at Arsenal as he’s already comfortably past the average retirement age and not getting any younger, it would merely be a waste.

If Emery needs defensive cover on the right side, his man is a different player already on the club’s books, former England man Calum Chambers.

The 24-year-old has spent 2018/19 impressing in a number of positions at struggling Fulham and deserves to be kept when he returns in May, just as versatile as Lichtsteiner, Chambers is the ideal option to fill his role next campaign.

The Gunners would be making a very positive move by letting a young, fresh and hungry player replace an ageing one by keeping Chambers and letting the man 11 years his superior quietly leave with dignity in the summer having not been offered a new deal.