Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the club are in negotiations with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez over new contracts, but says that most of the talking is done to the agents at this point.
Each player has their team of people to thrash out the details, before the player comes along at the end to dot the Is and cross the Ts.
Speaking tonight, the Arsenal manager reiterated the obvious desire to keep both his star players and said the process is ongoing.
“Nowadays, you negotiate with the agents more than with the player,” he said.
“We are in negotiations, yes. The players are 18 months away from the end of their contracts, so it’s normal.
“But the players always come in at the end, when it’s a renewal. With the first contract you need the players, but after that, when you renew, 90% of the contracts are negotiated with the agents.”
Reports earlier today suggested that Ozil and Sanchez want parity with some of the Premier League’s top earners, and there’s little doubt it will take a serious pay-rise to get them to stay.
However, Wenger believes there’s more to it all than money.
“I would like to say the luxury of the modern game should be that it’s not only about the money, because the players make anyway wherever they play good money at this level,” he said.
“I believe, personally … maybe I am a bit naïve, but it’s more about getting to meet the players’ needs.
“That’s about the way the club has values, the way the club has ambition, the way the club respects the players. So I think, for me, that is more important nowadays and an important ingredient for every player to consider.
“The money is good everywhere for everybody.”
Which is a fair point, but also means that if the money is not good enough somewhere, they have an easy solution.
Let’s hope the club convince these guys the future is red and white.
I’d say for the agents it’s 80% about the money, and their cut, with the 20% about the club/needs of the player.
Rumour from Spain that Pep called Alexis after the hatrick denied immediately by Pep himself. Probably Alexis’ agent doing some ‘negotiation’ ?
Alexis has one of the greediest agents in football, we have to pay a big commission to him. News came from Chile. The agent basically owns Chile National Team. In South America, journalists are such cunts, when they come to judge Arsenal ambitions and reputations.
Agents try to get the best contract for their player 80% of the time. Getting the best contract for their player is their bloody job, so of course they’re going to try and get the best deal they can. That’s what they’re paid for.
So nothing like “The players themselves want to stay” comment from the boss, hmmm.
I think our ambition and how well we do this season will also influence their decisions. They will most likely stay anyway
Agreed… Feeling positively hopeful…!
That is the most important factor, in my opinion. Arsenal have shown themselves willing to play in the current financial market. Whether the club can match the ambitions of the players in terms of trophies will be the real deciding factor, particularly in the case of Alexis.
250k a week for each player will be the minimum.
Ozil wants the No.10 shirt. Alexi wants another dog.
Who doesn’t?
paying them those salaries will be way cheaper than using transfer funds to find equal (if at all possible) replacements!
Get ‘er done Arsenal!
Hypothetical question, if you could keep only one then who would you pick?
I’d take Sanchez over Ozil if Cazorla was about 25 years old, haha. Tough question…not really sure we have a replacement for either.
Happy Monday everybody!
Since it’s likely to be their last big contracts at this level (both are heading into the end of their 20s), I would say money plays a large part in it.
However, since club and player values are important. And both of the seen have shown they are good human beings through charity work and donations- perhaps we, as a club, should be looking to support their charitable work as well?
Sign da ting!!!
Who negotiated with Vardy during the summer? Because they got that absolutely spot on.
Did you have to say that? He’s in my fantasy team.
When it comes to these two guys that gave already been to Barca and Real,i suspect they want to feel like they are in an environment that matches their ambitions. Guys like Nasri, Adebayor, paulinho, Ramires, and Pelle are the opposite, they will play for anyone that can pay them.
Can’t hold that against Pelle, he was already past 30 and any hopes of having a good career in Europe were already passed
I believe both will stay.
I believe it will absolutely kill Wenger to hand them £200,000k pw contracts but he will do it anyway. Any alternative would be unthinkable really. And he knows this.
Oops £200k not £200,000k. Good think I’m not negotiating.
I need you in my corner come pay rise time in a week or so.
The lowest I could see Ozil go is 225k… And Sanchez will require 250k to stay. They want Pogba money, Pogba is at/around 300k. So unless the club nearly doubles what they pay now (150k max), we will lose our two best players. Hopefully the money we saved last year from not buying anyone, except Cech, can go to pay roll to keep them both at the club. The club can afford both at 250k… The question is will the Arsenal ownership agree to that amount for the next 4-5 years.
“Hopefully the money we saved last year from not buying anyone, except Cech, can go to pay roll to keep them both at the club. ”
Ah. Sounds convenient now that we didn’t splash fifty million quid on Lacazzete this summer, eh?
Pogba is worth about half that, man u are stupid
Ozil hasn’t deserved a 50k pay rise. As good as he can be on his day he can be extremely languid on his worst and constantly goes missing in the big games. You pay a player 200k a week you want him to be the difference. Now in his 3rd season i’m not sure Ozil has been that man enough of the time for Arsenal.
Bayern, Leicester, City, United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool. These are the clubs against which Özil has goaled and/or assisted since he’s been here. Sell him!
goaled?
I like that we should use it more often
Ozil is in his 4th season with us.
Don’t think he is a 200k+(I mean Arsenal 200k not shitty’s 200k.) player, although in full flow he is very good and a joy to watch, but he is not, in ~50% of the matches(very good to bad), coupled with the fact that the team carries him when we defend, e.g. even in the West Ham game. Although if money is no concern which it should not be, keep him at any cost as long he helps Alexis score goals. One thing though is it seems these two sometimes look bigger than the club, as in Wenger from his statements… Read more »
Can’t see either leaving for other English teams like players of the past. I think the Ozil back to Madrid rumors are just them being sad they let him get away to buy Bale. Alexis really does seem to be the wild card, but I hope we see him for many years to come in an Arsenal shirt
To what extent will their decision be based on Wenger’s future I wonder?
I find that it helps to wonder: how significant was our manager in their decision to sign for us in the first place?
Can’t help but feel it does depend on that factor. Like when RVP left to go Utd…. must have been the biggest shock in his career when Fergie retired the next season
250K a week?!! My Lord! I got a job of 30k a year this week and I thought I have arrived.
Congratulations.
(You bastard!)
Wenger should negotiate harder, am getting impatient
1. A big Fuck You to both Manchester clubs (and the toxic one’s previous sugar daddy) for ruining the economics of football. Yes, this should also include Real, Barca, PSG. 2. That said, these players deserve equal if not more respect than their counterpart at these crack money clubs, because they are as good or better. But I agree respect does not only have to mean money. 3. Wenger mentioned the initial conversation is with the player – take this as a positive sign that the players both OK’d the conversation to go on to their agents to hash out… Read more »
Get it done. Need both of these guys to win silverware.
When you look at the sums of money being talked about, Wenger’s earlier comments about football being in a bubble really hit home. I honestly think that it’s frankly unconscionable to pay anyone such obscene sums of money when the rest of the world is pretty much going to shit. Oh well.
Thankfully both of them also put significant effort and investment into charitable goals. Reminds me of – and I can’t believe I’m going to say this – but Bellamy. Took a high money job he got criticized for because it could continue to fund his charitable work. I try not to be quick to judge all players for their pay seeing where many of them put it to use. If they did not get their equitable chunk of the economics of football -that their star power and hard work generates- there would be a much much smaller percentage of that… Read more »
Please don’t be cheap. We need them more than they need us.
Sanchez is essential while for me Ozil is a luxury item that l could honestly take or leave. As well as pay rises, l think they’ll want to see the arrival of players of their ilk. So it’s big money all round.
Around 260 k/w means they both stay I guess. And if those guys are on around 140 k/w already, that’s an 120 k/w more each over 5 years. That is around 60 million out of our pocket for their upgraded salaries.
Wenger knows replacements’ fees (plus salaries) will cost like 3 times that in today’s market, so we can’t afford to not pay them, in a way. I fully expect them both to eventually stay.
(Fingers crossed etc!)
We will be going backwards again if Ozil and Sanchez leave
I hope they both sign that ting!
Which is why the summer spending had to be controlled.
We needed to reserve money for contracts to Ozil and Alexis.
What was ready to spend needed to be spread between Granit (The midfield with the excellent Flamini gone), CBack (when Gabriel took a knock, this became priority) and a back up striker (with Wenger making the bold move to convert Alexis to CF)
This is what so many simply care not to understand when viewing transfer window.