According to ESPN, Mesut Ozil turned down a mega-money offer from China and interest from Manchester United before penning his new contract at the Emirates.
After 18 months of talks, it has been confirmed by the BBC’s David Ornstein that the Germany international, 29, has agreed a three and a half year deal worth a reported £230,000 a week after tax.
It’s claimed by journalist Mattias Karen, that Ozil was the subject of an approach from Chinese Super League club Guangzhou who were willing to pay him £25 million a year, more than double what he’ll get at the Emirates.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho also enquired after the midfielder, who he managed at Real Madrid, only to be put off by the player’s wage demands. United have since extended Juan Mata’s contract.
European giants Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain are also understood to have been sniffing around Ozil, who could have signed a pre-contract agreement this month ahead of becoming a free agent in the summer.
So, basically, stick it, Jose.
That is fantastic.
i was considering not renewing season ticket next season. I will now as it’s worth the money just to watch the man play. Simply sublime footballer. Hard to believe that some arsenal fans bought into the narrative that press and pundits created. Then again every club has a percentage of cunts ?
This is a bigger coup than Aubemeyang and Mkhitaryan. Result!
If we don’t follow that up with a couple of more quality signings then it’s meaningless.
Anyway very happy he signed.
It is signing of the window really
Maybe we should be looking to sign that Walcott kid at Everton, 2 goals and an assist in 2 appearances 🙂
I’m happy for him and I hope he makes the World Cup team.
Wilshere and Rambo must be the next contracts extended.
I hear he has incredible potential!
From the BBC website:
Walcott, 28, provided much more than goals, leading Everton’s defensive press and winning possession seven times.
Maybe it’s more to do with how he’s managed than how much ability/willingness to work hard he has?
I feel we have done decent business these past few weeks to neutralise the ridiculous situation the club has been led in.
Getting a player in exchange for Sanvhez was a major bonus.
Hopefully the new transfer team will bring in a complete midfield and defence by the summer!
Don’t go overboard, biggest coup like he took us to CL this year and probably next year ?
All fans, not just Gooners, buy into narrative that press and pundits create.
I remember when TH14 said Giroud wasn’t good enough, sites were awash with people agreeing with him. Today, everyones pissed off that Girouds left.
You also have to credit Giroud for that as he came back strong and proved all his doubters wrong. One of the main complaints was that he didnt score big goals and lacked pace. So what he could he change he did and started banging in massive goals.
Unfortunately, it’s the curse of this club. First there’s the lack of trophies, despite nobody mentioning it when it’s the spuds. Then we win trophies and suddenly the FA cup does’t count anymore. We got hammered for not beating Leicester to the title, when we were the only club to do the business against them. Even this season, it’s not gone well so far but we’re going to Wembley again. The fans are driven by the media agenda. I say Fuck ‘em. We’re Arsenal.
Yeah, the Leicester thing always annoys me. Pundits, especially some of our own ex players, bang on about how we allowed Leicester to win the league. Well what about everybody else?
We’re a target for the media and pundits. I think a lot of our ex lot assumed they’d get jobs at the club and because that hasn’t happened they bang us at every opportunity.
actually we were the only team to beat them home and away
This
Love that. Thank you for saying that. Liverpool just lost to Swansea, no one is shitting the bed there. Arsenal still needs a lot of change, but there’s still stuff to be positive about and to get behind the team and look forward to. I would be gassed to beat the mancs at wembley again! And win the Europa! COYG!
Not all of us Wezza, some of us always backed Mesut and Oli.
Top man Vonnie. Ive always backed Mesut but had my doubts about HFB, especially in the beginning. Will miss him though
Giroud gone damn
The fact is Giroud is NOT good enough. He is a 7/10 player who can do a job but he is not good enough to lead the line. The real reason people are unhappy at him leaving is simply sentiment. He scored a few blinders interspersed with longer periods of frustration and ineffectiveness. He would play for a few games and for many more games than that show that he was simply a £12 million striker. He is a symbol of what Arsenal has become the past few years and that is simply a club playing below its ambition and… Read more »
Theo NEVER said that And GOONERS didn’t agree with the made up crap!
Gooners are upset that Oli has gone! Correct me if I’m wrong. Chelsea ARE the current champions, are a top 6 team and they want him!
You say it’s “not just Gooners”… and then give an Arsenal example.
Doesn’t quite prove your point. Just saying.
weel said
absolute quality
Only counts thinks this is a good thing for the team so i guess you’re right about that??
Well this Arsenal Cunt pays top money to watch this club as well and we are all entitled to our opinion. Perhaps now we’ve offloaded the players Wenger wanted to, he may turn his attention to assembling some kind of defence utilising actual defenders because we are fucked if Aubameyan and Lacazette can’t score more goals thsn we leak
#LANS
Excellent! Fucking love Ozil.
But, but, he’s lazy and no other big clubs want him.
Giroud :((((((((((((((((((
COYG! And John Terry is a cunt, lest you forget
John Terry is dead.
lest “ye” forget
Terry’s cunthood is so powerful it stretches through time
Gunner be a legend!
Oh please! a legend, we’ve won f…. all of any importance for 13 years, get real. Unless he’s got a promise the old fool will be gone in May, it will remain the same.
Except 3 fa cups since his arrival. Misery guts.
At least the rest of this season should have plenty of offensive spark.
Hope the rebuild leads to better results next season! This feels like a team that can really get on with each other.
Last step, sign up Jack!!
And Aaron. His contract expires next summer. Would love to see him stay, too. Like jack, he now has his best years in front of him and I’m pretty optimistic that he would deliver. Just one top class number 6 away from a top top top squad.
the issue with ramsey (and have to assume that it’s under Wenger’s instructions) is he has no positional discipline at all. 1/2 the time he’s right up there with the center forward and leaving the middle totally open. he might be a decent player but we either need to buy a proper dm or we really have to play with 3 in the middle when he plays
He ain’t good enough Atom. Bottom line.
I tend to agree. Personally think we need to blow up our entire CM sans Jack who can stay and compete for a starting roll. I would like to see Xhaka and Ramsey sold and a proper DM come in.
I don’t understand how Ozil, Miki, Ramsey, Jack and Xhaka can fit into the same midfield. I had high hopes for Xhaka.. but he seems too slow of mind and body to survive the prem. Honestly, a DM and then one of Jack, Miki and Ramsey in the middle. Im not sure Aaron will win out in that battle. Ill take a destroyer or a ball playing DM like Gilberto.. anyone! Just someone thats told to stay back and play DM. I don’t even care where he comes from, convert one of the players we have, promote someone from the… Read more »
Should have signed N’Zonzi. Release clause is only 20M
Are you a dog?
I think if Xhaka has the positioning and game intelligence to mop up after Ramsey, we might see the best of both of them. Unfortunately, Xhaka hides on defence, case in point, him letting Clucas run across him for the 2nd Swansea goal. Painful to watch.
It’s always the same story with Ramsey, why should anyone have to mop up after him? Nobody can play with Ramsey, eventually the penny has to drop that it’s Ramsey that’s the problem.
And one manager..
Neither Jack nor Ramsey are going nowhere…. they will b here as they both luv arsenal to the core…
So he stayed because United wont pay him what he wanted.
He said they’d have to pay him double what Arsenal will to make him play with that negative nellie Chilean again.
Or so I’m told.
I can imagine they matched arsenals wages on offer. If he is willing to play for us instead ill take it in any way, shape or form.
And that dishonest waste of skin scumbag manager
-I believe you..:-)
I just don’t think you understand
yeah, wenger was the only one mad enough to pay him what he wants
Facts
£920K a month (base wage after tax) to pad stats against bottom half sides and be coddled by a geriatric manager. Tough life!
Glass is half empty kind of guy then
No glass guy (no matter empty or full)
He lost my interest at “to pad stats”…
Reality kind of guy.
I know it’s tough in Delusionland, currently where many Arsenal fans reside.
You have now lost me again, wondering what “Magazine_Gap” is all about! 😉
Or someone with the ambition to lift a struggling team to glory. There is more than one way to do it you know.
Fuck me even leicester did it…..at our expense unfortunately.
For me this is the best bit of news today, really thought he was leaving us.
Yep pleasant surprise
I find it hard to believe Mourinho would a player with Ozil’s playing style – he sold Mata and Mkhitaryan for the same reason. And that was the same reason Ozil left Madrid and joined us too! Mourinho didn’t like his ‘lack of aggression’. Fake news, for me.
Mourinho wasnt managing Madrid when Özil left. That was down to Florentino Perez turning on him over contract negotiations. Mourinho signed Özil because he loves him so much.
Nonsense, Mourinho benched him 2nd half of his last season there.
You may well have more details to back that up, but how did he get to 52 appearances (same as the year before) and 26 assists (best in the league) that season, if he was “benched” in the second half of it?
Big ups to Özil, has a chance to be the maestro for the next three years. If the defense gets sorted and the new guys gel the next few seasons could see an Arsenal Team (!) playing good football.
Need to add steel, now that we got some style and creativity back with Miki and Auba
Plus a new manager & coaching staff, unless you are deluding yourself. The arrogant old fool has been out coached by everyone from Forest to Bournemouth to Swansea and even more recently. But its all the Yanks fault of course
Great if true but still no confirmation from any official Arsenal outlet.
Ornstein has spoken
Guaranteed Mourinho is talking shit about this next week.
I’m certainly glad he stayed.
Actually more excited about this than the Auba deal. Kills so many myths about Arsenal. We can keep our best player, we can pay mega wages. Hope this and the new signings can galvanise the squad and get us back into the CL , so we can take stock in the summer and put in place a plan for next year hopefully with a new manager. Easily the best window I can remember.
Up yours MoaningWhore
HELLO!!!
NO CONFIRMATION FROM ANY OFFICIAL ARSENAL SOURCE YET!
H E L L O ! ! !
I hope this game ends in a draw with Alli and Sanchez both clashing heads and knocking each other out. That said, the look on Maureen’s face after Eriksen scored the goal within 10 seconds was priceless. The look after Phil Jones own goal was also quality. Eat shit Maureen!
Also Sanchez is playing terribly. The same old story as at Arsenal. All he’s done so far is lose possession. I have a strong feeling Manure just bought themselves a wasteful show pony who is almost past it.
Huh, that ended pretty miserably for Sanchez and Maureen. Hope it continues that way. On the other hand, Theo scored a brace for Everton. Good for him.
Mourinho is a cunt.
And Ozil knows it.
I think so.
Probably not many comparable offers that can match our wage.
The big boys RM and Barca, PSG. Bayern. No takers for various reasons.
Italy cant compete on wage package.
So its City, United, Liverpool maybe.
Liverpool spent 75m on some Dutch player, City not interested so just United and Jose is a twat.
😀
£230,000 after tax!! Well at least he’s putting loads of dosh towards the NHS and stuff. Love me a bit of Mesut! COYG!
Riding fast on the legendary train
Isn’t it 330,000 per week?
No it isn’t.
Or is it? Who have you been talking to Indian?
I just got it from the Arseblog bit above…?
Pre-tax vs. Post-tax.
Yes, yes, yes. So thrilled Ozil has extended his contract. That is critical to the team, especially with the additions of Mhiktaryan and Aubameyang. Just think of Ozil feeding Lacazette, Mhiktaryan, and Aubameyang. This season has been tough, but we can still make it back to the Champions League through Europa (hopefully), like Manure did last year. Now we need to just shore up the defense and we should be in really good shape for next year. Oh, and replace Cech, preferably by bringing Szczesny back. With the right financial incentive to Juve, we could bring him back. We certainly… Read more »
Didn’t think he would sign. But I guess options going to China looks daft even for the money. And he probably doesn’t like Jose…can’t blame him. We probably can pay more than Italy so he looks settled now. Still, didn’t feel he would commit so early and that he would hold the decision till the summer. Its been another underwhelming season but we need to kick on and claw back 4th with 14 games to go. Plus there is the Europa. The league cup honestly would be nice bc of the opposition we face but its still a bit mickey… Read more »
Szczesny won’t come back whilst the old has been is still in charge. We are a 6th place club, he’s with the Italian champs
When you try and grade Arsenal’s transfer window this year you obviously have to take into consideration the resigning of Ozil which is massive, but to me some of the biggest moves we made were finally selling off players that were not contributing to bring some money in to fund the purchase of Aubameyang as well as freeing up salary funds to offer Ozil the larger contract. Yes we did have to sell (swap really) Sanchez who was a key player, but we really didn’t have much choice. The other sales of Coquelin and Walcott to bring in around 32… Read more »
MASSIVE!
I still feel we haven’t had the best window but with the Ozil LANS, it brings it up several notches.
This is a very big coup for us considering how much we have been bleeding with Alexis and Giroud, less Coquelin and Walcott.
We’re paying him far too much for such a fairweather player. The only reason we got him to sign a new contract is because we’re the only team in Europe dumb enough to pay him so much.
Fans being happy at keeping Ozil over Sanchez is confirmation bias of the highest order. Sanchez was a far better player over the course of his Arsenal career.
Not recently though, Ozil has been class
Imagine if we did not even have him.
We won’t even be 6th!
Luxury possession player who has failed to lift Arsenal on any consistent basis against better sides. By better that’s most of the league if the other team is up for it.
Quite a deluded lot here, talking about “buying into a narrative,” must be the Wenger effect (they truly believe contrary opinion is formed from toilet rag tabloids, yawn).
“We’re paying him far too much for such a fairweather player.”
It’s not your money.
I swear Santori said that OZil wouldn’t be re-signing. Now Leicester asking for 90M for Mahrez when Santori said 40-50M would get it done?
I gotta question reading his post because I was sure he knew what he was talking about
I know talk about commentators curse.
Never been more happy to eat humble pie on this one 😀
Its like the signing of the January window!
Stuff it Jose.
😀
…Leicester and Mahrez. Last summer was 50m. 90m was probably quoted at City’s interest.
Heard a Leicester fan on radio say how marhez has more goals and assits in last two years than coughing Philip courtinho, and at a worse team and they are a similar age who sold for 120million + ! I think Leicester were right yo ask for more money..90 mill etc..
I’m glad you can have fun with this.
Sant didn’t know the first thing about the Mahrez situation if he honestly thought 40-50 mil would get it done. Leicester always maintained that they wanted top dollar for Mahrez. Top dollar for that kind of attacking talent is closer to 9 figures than 7.
Just look at what freakin’ Coutinho got the Red Scouse when he went to Barca if you don’t believe me.
I will say that I’m pleasantly surprised that Ozil re-signed. That is great news. But the good news today was ruined by Giroud being sold to Chelski.
So wrong so wrong:D
Great. But Ozil, as well as all the other great players we have will only truly perform under a new top manager. With Wenger it will be more of the same, let’s not have any doubts about this
Why are deluded idiots downing the facts
Before I read this, I liked Ozil.
I still do.
Great lad
Well well well…this has certainly lifted my mood today. I thought he was as good as out of the door but this is fantastic news! I was prepared we were going to replace him cheaply with Mhkitaryan and Ramsey. I’ve never been more glad for being wrong. So imprtant…its as good as two Aubaemyang signings if you ask me. He’s improved in the last season and in such rich vein of form. If we can support him properly now with Mhkitaryan sharing some of the creative load and hopefully our two strikers up top in Lacazette and Aubmeyang can put… Read more »
I think we’ll see Ozil up top rotating in a triangle with the two finishers in Lacazette and Aubameyang. He will be supported just behind with Mhkitryan and Jack who will also rotate to cover with either of Elneny or Granit. Still worried about the wide area and in particular our swiftness in attack when transitioning on the counter. Hopefully Lacazette and Aubameyang strike up a good partnership as a front pair of sorts. Maybe the German factor is an issue. We have a number of players now who have strong ties to Bundesliga and Germany. Aubameyang and Mhkitaryan from… Read more »
I suppose we will have two up top with Lacazette and Aubameyang (Welbeck, possibly nelson as alternates) Ozil in the hole with Ramsey or Mhkitaryan backing up. Jack and Mhkitaryan as a supporting pair left and right in midfield albeit the third position I’m 50-50 on either of Granit or Elneny. One is probably better offensively but may need Mhkitaryan to drop deeper to exercise caution. The other is more defensive and seems inexplicably better in a back 3. There is also Ramsey and Iwobi who should provide impact out left. How we work out the defensive issue is as… Read more »
Finally acting like a big club again. Just hope rest of this season goes well and we finish rebuilding the squad in the summer. Need a couple of defenders, a goalkeeper, and a midfielder in the summer.
It is really sad that some Gooners online have been downplaying this. Saying that Ozil signed just so he could stay in his comfort zone, and because no other big teams were interested in him. We have a bad tendency to talk shit about our star players. The likes of Fabregas, RVP, Alexis all left because we failed to live up to their expectations/ambitions. It is clear that Ozil only put pen to paper after the signing of Aubameyang. Hopefully from now on we can keep all our star players. By not only paying them well, but also bringing in… Read more »
Happiest I’ve been as an arsenal fan since we signed Ozil
The best arsenal news since we signed him the first time!!!
Massive… Ozil ozil ozil
This was the biggest news of the transfer period for me. I know Ozil likely made this decision because of his contentment in London, but there is a side of me that likes to think the guy is just really loyal to Arsenal. Nonetheless, I think with this deal, Ozil solidifies himself as a club legend. Sticking with us when we are struggling says a lot about his character. Really admire him.
Oh please, has the old Frenchman deluded you as well
I’m not sure Ozil was wanted by by PSG or Barca. If he was, why didn’t he go? Surely he’s ambitious and wants to play in and win Champions League, of which he’ll do neither at Arsenal.
Having said that, 350K a week is way more than he’s worth
After yesterday’s events today has made me happy. We need a ten game winning streak of else we can forget about top four
LANS. Important that Ozil’s happy and settled in London. Up the Arsenal.
Other news…apparently Alex Song (remember him?) is training with us having been released by Rubin Kazan.
Age 30yrs, 6’1 frame. Any use for us I wonder…
We need options in midfield particularly defensive mid.
We need to be careful here, three players at 28/29 years old. Planning and management required.
Kinda smells like Wenger has zero control over transfers anymore and we have a full on director of football, transfer committee and coach system.
But it has the hallmarks of skewed planning already. As we haven’t signed breakout 21-23 year olds like we used to ,in order to balance the threat of three key attacking players who will age at the same time and contracts will finish at similar times.
Signing Ozil is brilliant news. Now we can build the team around slick passing with him and Micki.
Ozil, Micki, Jack and Rambo. Looking forward to seeing these four being squeezed into the same team
Any news on Jack signing and Rambo’s new deal.
Will we see the players in last 18months to go being re-signed? Hope we learn the lesson already
I think we’ll build on these 28-29 year olds by adding more 23-25 year olds this summer. If Sanchez, Theo and Giroud had stayed we would have anyways had 29 year olds so, i think we have done great business on that front.
Offensively, the team has never been in better shape if you consider the potential there.
Despite defensive issues, a solid defender who can come in and take over as the leader, and then play with Koz or Mustafi rotating between themselves for starting positions, we wouldnt be too bad.
And a new keeper, please
Spectacular news.
As an aside, since when are we reporting wages ‘after tax’?
That’s the way it’s done in football contracts these days. Upside, stops the lines of Monaco poaching players. Downside is it costs us an arm and a leg if the looney Marxist cockwombles get into power..
Wasn’t going to leave his Highgate, North London pad for some drum in Manchester. Thank you Oz, always a joy to see you play
Lets be real nobody was really after him, rumors made by agent doesn’t count.
Just what we wanted to hear. Fuck Mourinho. Classless prick. It looks like we have a first choice attack primed for playing to Ozil’s strengths. We just really need to do something about what happens behind him. Xhaka and Wilshere had looked ok together but it seems like having Xhaka alongside Ramsey brings the worst out in both of them – Ramsey’s lack of positional sense and Xhaka’s unsteadiness on the ball in a tight spot. Despite Wilshere’s excellent form of late you still get the impression that the boss will try to shoehorn Ramsey in wherever he can. I… Read more »
Simply my perspective but……
Adding Lacazette, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang and resigning Ozil does not cover up the deficiencies of Mustafi, Xhaka and Elneny.
For those rueing the loss of Giroud and Walcott, one had no pace and one only had pace (usually without the ball). While excited about attacking potential our defence isn’t still a liability.