Mesut Ozil says he’s very happy at Arsenal and has no intention of leaving the club before his current contract ends in two years time.
The German, who is 18 months into a three and a half year extension at the Emirates, was heavily linked with a move away from the club in the build-up to the January transfer window but that speculation has since died down.
Ozil has endured a frustrating season on the pitch with the fallout from his international retirement, niggly injuries and illness all taking their toll on his form.
Asked by Sky Sports if he’s happy and wants to stick around at Arsenal, Ozil said: “Absolutely. I’ve got two more years on my contract. I don’t know after that but I’ve got two years left.
“I’m 30 now, I still have years in front of me, it’s down to the club as well of course, but I’ve got two years here – after that I don’t know what happens.”
While it still appears that Unai Emery has reservations about using the World Cup winner in away games – a remarkable state of affairs given he’s the club’s highest earner on £350,000 a month – the midfielder says his relationship with his coach is ‘positive’.
“No [there are noissues with Emery],” he added. “Definitely not. There’s always speculation, everyone inside knew that our situation is positive.
“It’s frustrating [not playing]. I want to play in every game. Through injury I’ve missed games but that’s football.
“As a footballer you always want to start games. The coach makes decisions which means you may not start but you have to keep going.”
Whether the Arsenal hierarchy wants to keep Ozil around remains to be seen. Their problem is that having handed him a whopping great pay rise few clubs can actually afford him.
I’d be happy to see out my £350,000 a week contract. And not tell anyone if I were hacked off at not playing enough.
Exactly. He’s perfectly suited to a comfortable 2 more years at arsenal. coast along, no great pressure, slip into mediocrity with 8 or 9 others drifting along
Yep. Thanks a million Ivan Gazedis for that ‘wonderful’ decision. Although both the Manager – Wenger – and the then Board, who must have sanctioned this, are also in need of having their brains/sanity testing.
Wenger is on record as saying he was highly sceptical about that particular deal
This is written about a great many players, and I think it is, almost always, nonsense. The players who reach the top rungs of professional football have been intensely competitive from the time they were children. Their whole identities, everything they care about, involves playing football and winning. That doesn’t mean they never make a lazy mistake or loaf in a game. It means, by and large, they want to be on the pitch, they want to play well, they want to win.
Just like clockwork. Downtick in form, trot out the Ozil pay packet stories.
fairly sure he’s on £350k per week, rather than per month! And I’d be happy to see out my contract on that kind of dough!
I like Ozil, on his day, he is one of the best in the world. He is real joy to watch when he is in form but having said that, I feel he should go to another club where he is more suited. It seems Arsenal will make 70M pounds operating loss this year. As usual Kroenke will not spend penny from his pocket. Club has to sell few players before we can buy. I feel Ozil, Mikhi, Jenk, Mustafi can be sold to free some wages. Others including Sp*rs will spend Millions this year and they already have better… Read more »
Spurs will not be spending millions. They’ve just moved into a new stadium. We need to get used to scrapping around 4th to 6 th. This is Wengers legacy. Do Don’t expect any money from Kroenke.
Any player they buy will in all likelihood cost millions, such is the market currently. However, your are right in the sentiment.
Spurs will do a Liverpool, rake in a massive amount for say ‘Erikson’ & try to spend it wisely. Oh if only Arsenal had the common sense to operate like that. Ozil – not even the Chinese are dumb enough to get him off our books!
Spurs will try to do a Liverpool, rake in a massive amount for say ‘Erikson’ & try to spend it wisely. Oh if only Arsenal had the common sense to operate like that. Ozil – not even the Chinese are dumb enough to get him off our books!
Really wondering if he’ll be here after this summer or not. Thoughts?
My opinion is the only clubs who can afford him won’t want him.
Not sure, having seen Barca’s recent transfer philosophy of stockpiling old / has been midfielders. Not saying Ozil is old / a has been btw!
It seems many here want him out. And Mki too. And buy tackling players. Then Wenger’s legacy is truly dead, football too and better supporting Stoke
Are you for sure.? Wenger has destroyed the Club. Ozil and Mikhitaryan epitomise everything that’s wrong with the Club. Gutless, bottlers. Play away from home with these 2 in your team and it’s like playing with 9 men.!!!!!
Wenger’s best teams had a few who knew how to tackle and even dabble in the dark arts from time to time… and his best teams had the deeply competitive streak that many of our players seem to be missing now.
We have a few players who dabble in the dark arts. It’s the competitive streak that lacks. Watching City play Burnley on the weekend and yes they had a few players with a nasty streak but their skilled players were more flustered by the slow pitch than any physicality the Burnley players dished up. Perhaps it’s due to the greater composure that comes with having better quality players or a collective competitive mindset. The difference between our meek away performances and their willingness to get on with trying to bag 3 points was evident
Rather than just seeing it out how about working for the money?No matter what you think of of Ramsey on a day we find out he won’t play again for us his professionalism and attitude couldn’t be more in contrast to the I’m too talented to tackle
I just want Mesut to leave. Such little contribution for his Mega money. Guess it’s not his fault we offered him that ridiculous contract. It still makes me sick
Emery has to learn how to get the best out of him — the guy is capable of a lot of great football, and if he doesn’t want to leave, and we signed him to big money, then get to work on making it work: build the next team around him and complement his playing style, home and away, with ESR as understudy.
If his wages aren’t an issue for us when it comes to brining in new players, then I’d be behind keeping him, he’s very talented and he can turn games for us on his day. But he’s far too inconsistent/injury-prone/sickly to “build around”. Instead we need a robust system, a deep squad and ideally several star players that don’t go missing in away games!
On his day.???. When was that then.? Gutless, Fiat track bully.
Well as I said he’s not been nearly consistent enough for us. But when you look around the squad we’re not exactly loaded with talent either! I’d only look to sell if his wages were stopping us rebuilding the side
Did Ozil do some pre-season testing for Ferrari at the Lingotto? What’s a Fiat track bully?
It’s when you beat Juventus, obviously.
Build the team around a gutless,spineless Bottler.????
Makes me sick to read this. This guy’s salary is always discussed and it seems what defines Özil is his wages. I’d hate to be viewed only as a bag of money… he is ours and a f***** talented guy who has given us trophies and joy!
Good luck if you wish to replace him at a low price!
No chance he’s going anywhere. This spineless gutless twat will see out his contract.
Özil doesn’t tackle and it’s a good news: he has never been trained to!! But if you define a football player by his tackling abilities… especially when you compare an attacking midfielder to a defending one…
Absolutely spot on.!!!
Why are you happy we’re wank and you hardly play? Surely you should be unhappy that we aren’t challenging for the title and cl and you don’t play away from home
Over 500k a week to him and mykitarian. Fucking joke
Surely he´s adressing the speculations about his future and not on the way the team is playing right now. He played alot in our unbeaten run last fall.
No he didn’t. Mhiki and Iwobi played a lot. if you repeat yourself something over and over, it becomes reality (to you). it is known as the Trump’s syndrome.
Absolutely spot on.
Truth is that we’re stuck with Ozil. He won’t leave unless to where his current wage is guaranteed. And where is that?
Unless, maybe, the Chinese turn up again with another crazy offer to him. Or Arsenal can conjure a wage-splitting arrangement with some club. Otherwise…..
We need to get the best out of him. I think Unai has managed to get more from him in terms of work rate off the ball. When you watch Ajax the other day, night and day how they chase the ball and it isn’t like they are an entirely young team either … Tadic, Shone, Blind all older legs, Tagliafico, Zyech and Veltman all 26+ yrs. But the hunger and determination was there both to chase as a pack further forward (ina coordinated fashion) and double up for each other when defending. Particularly in the former case, coordination is… Read more »
Some of it is down to the players but I don’t think Emery has figured out how best to combine the players he has. The Auba out wide tactic to accommodate he and Laca is a good example.
I dont care what the current narrative around Mesut is, when hes on the pitch our attack looks like someone is always freed in space here and there. U can see how the strikers just make runs and how teams try to close him down. 350k is what he negotiated. Let the manager get the best put of him.
Negotiate and f…..n sell the weak legs….
I love ozil. I hope he stays.
I’m so glad that he’s happy to stay. His happiness is , after all, the most important thing. Not whether he just coasts through seasons, picking and choosing the games he turns up for, either literally or metaphorically, and takes the hard earned money of the season ticket holders.
You need a fucking dose of reality son….
You clearly don’t know a thing about Football.!!!!!
Whether you guys want it or not mesut has been a great player to us just that Emery think that his wage it too much, but come to think of it you people in this forum are still the same guys begging to give him whatever he want so that he can sign a new contract for us now you’re complaining. Just tell Emery doesn’t acknowledge the fact that ozil is a great player.
Ozil is flat track bully. Never seen him have anything like a decent game in the road.!!!
Besides since his arrival to the club he has won 2 FA cups and always been great for us, just ask Emery what his tactics has done to mesut.
“While it still appears that Unai Emery has reservations about using the World Cup winner in away games – a remarkable state of affairs given he’s the club’s highest earner on £350,000 a month…”
Can’t argue with the results.
I think for a moment we should put Ozil’s wages aside. I do think that he should move on, just to be clear, but… I think that he does put a bit more effort in the last months (doesn’t tackle, okay, but he does press at some point). What I think is that any manager must have the player’s preferences and then decide how or whether to use him. Ozil ain’t no tackler and he will not tackle under any manager. We all have a bag of reasons about him but did we ever asked ourselves did the club surrounded… Read more »
How sweet it is to read a large majority of these posts, I’ve been saying for a long long time that Ozil isn’t worth the hassle. I’d give him a free this summer along with Mkhitaryan. They both have 2 years left on their deals, it’s highly unlikely we’ll renew in 2 years, or get any significant transfer fee in the meantime, due to their age and wages….. but why wait until the summer of 2021 to move on? When you stop using part of your revenue for something, providing your revenue hasn’t decreased, it then becomes available for something… Read more »
I am not sure that a contract works that way. ‘Oh we promised to pay you x for two more years but we are not going to do that. Please move to club Z’
We can only give him away if he agrees to that and if someone is willing to take him. The wages would be an issue on both sides of that equation
No matter how often you tell people this, they will persist in saying we ought to get rid of a player. One more time: if there is a unexpired contract, either side can insist on enforcing it. No one can force a club to put a player on the pitch, but they must still pay him. Full stop.
If my boss told me he wanted me to stay & sign for that kind of money I would. Who wouldn’t? The fact I am not worth it would create negative noise, easily solved by a swim in My 350k a week. Sorry özil, but even from a football circus viewpoint your are not at a lvl that takes attention away from your wage, this is the no1 symptom of being overpaid. Still, .it is the board and manager to stans in shame,
The landscape of how the game is played has been evolving into ‘total football’ over the last few years, where it’s a case of defending as a team, moving as a team and attacking as a team. Strikers are now expected to track back and tackle whilst defenders are expected to carry the ball and be creative. Ozil doesn’t seem to be able to adapt to that. He’s one of the last of his generation’s old-style #10; an extremely creative player who’s sole purpose is to essentially sit and wait for the ball and rarely (if ever) help with the… Read more »
I’m not a huge Ozil fan and I think we overpaid him massively, but it’s hard to argue that we have looked better away from home now that we drop him most games this season
Arsenal isnt good enough to let him go.
Maybe terms of contract should include appearance and performance?