It’s amazing how Arsenal find a way to get back to square one. Between 2011 and 2012, the club lost its key attacking trio of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie to various clubs prepared to pay higher wages and compete for trophies. Fans can point to such players being mercenaries but, in hindsight, all their moves were eventually justified while Arsenal struggled in the doldrums of the ‘Top 4’ and the Champions League Round of 16.
Now, even with world class players such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez on board, Wenger stares at the prospect of losing his key players once again. The players have changed but the scenario remains the same. Just FA Cup trophies will not be enough to satiate players of their pedigree.
Alexis looks set to leave and his cryptic quotes at the Confederations Cup suggest the Chilean forward could be on the move. If he does leave, it would be very hard for the club to shake off the ‘selling club’ tag – something they will furiously work to avoid despite the money they could recoup from his transfer. Trophies are now more important than ever than the balance sheet now that the club is financially stable.
Also read: What should Arsenal and Arsene Wenger do with Alexis Sanchez?
Back in Arsene Wenger’s heydays, player contracts were never allowed to run down to the final year. Former club vice-chairman David Dein made it a point to find out exactly where his players would be vacationing in the off-season and sought to negotiate new deals while simultaneously staving off interest from top European clubs who circled like sharks to prise away the Gunners’ best players.
In that respect, they managed to keep high-profile players such as Patrick Vieira at the club for as long as required despite several machinations working in favour of the midfielder moving back to the continent. Dein managed to get nine successful years from the Frenchman and all was good at Highbury.
But since his departure Arsenal have struggled to keep their players happy in long-term deals. It also coincided with the move to the Emirates where the climate at the club was financially constrained. Richer clubs with bigger paychecks and even bigger ambitions were too good to turn down for players who had seen their careers plateau at Arsenal.
Mesut Ozil finds himself in a unique situation
However, in Ozil’s case, the scenario is slightly different. The German playmaker was bought for a club record £42.4m in 2013 and there has never been any doubt about his impact at the club. Ignoring the select few who felt he was only “nicking a living”, the majority of the fanbase know that he is the most important player at the club at the moment.
In four seasons, he has excelled in his primary role in the team, making over 50 assists for the club. In the last two seasons alone he has created 246 chances in the Premier League. If Wenger had more accomplished forwards in his lineup, who knows what could have been?
But if Ozil is so good at what he does, how come no other club has come in with a bid to sign him from the north London club? Arguably one of the most coveted playmakers in the world, surely one of the top clubs would want to bring him on board and surround him with the talent required to get the best out of him?
The answer lies in the fact that he is yet to extend his deal at Arsenal. Ozil’s contract runs out next summer and although the club has been trying to negotiate an extension since the start of the 2016/17 season, the German international has stalled on a new deal.
At first, his quotes in the press suggested that his future was tied to Wenger’s future at the club. But the French manager has since signed a two-year extension following the FA Cup triumph over Chelsea.
And yet, there has been no word on Ozil. Nor has there been any interest from other clubs in his services.
Will Ozil run out his contract?
Ozil’s wage demands were also a stumbling block in the negotiations. Currently on £140,000-a-week at the club, reports claim the five-time Germany Player of the Year wants to be in the same bracket as the likes of Paul Pogba and Wayne Rooney at Manchester United.
Word is that Arsenal have relented and are ready to break the bank and pay him £280,000-a-week – double his current wages. And yet, there seems to be no progress in the negotiations. So what is Ozil waiting for?
Realistically, only a few clubs can actually better Arsenal on the wages front. While the usual suspects will not bat an eye when it comes to agreeing to Ozil’s wage demands, it is his transfer fee that will put them off.
Most clubs will be keeping an eye on the current impasse, though. With a year left, it is Arsenal who are more desperate for him to sign the deal. But will Ozil sacrifice double his wages for a year before moving elsewhere for free next summer? Would he do that to Arsenal – the club that put so much faith in him when he arrived four years ago?
A stunt like that would put his own legacy in jeopardy while widening the gap between him and fans. That alone would have a detrimental effect on his form and it is the club that will suffer for it.
However, loyalty is an overrated commodity in modern football today. If Ozil feels his future does not lie in north London, he will be free to sign a pre-contract in January. He is only 28 and still has a number of years left in his career.
Arsenal have shown intent to satisfy their two key players by approaching Ligue 1’s star striker Alexandre Lacazette who averaged 30 goals in the past three seasons. Kylian Mbappe is also a target but a world record transfer fee may be out of Arsenal’s means. AS Monaco’s Thomas Lemar has also been sounded out while various reports have also linked Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez.
Also read: Alexandre Lacazette close to €50m Arsenal move
The club have been fighting fires all over the place with respect to contract extensions for Alexis and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (who has been linked with Liverpool). Amidst all this chaos over players crucial to Wenger’s plans, Ozil has quietly slipped under the radar with most fans convinced that he will extend his contract.
But history suggests otherwise and it is time Arsenal learned from past mistakes.
