Arsene Wenger says that Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez tell him they want to stay at the club, and that Arsenal are prepared to give them big money and a lot of love.
However, he also warned that there is a limit to what the club can offer – something that’s not true of certain others – but feels that they’re both ready to stay onboard the good ship Arsenal.
Speaking to beIN Sport, he said, “They tell me they want to stay, after that we negotiate. It always starts with money, it ends with money and inbetween the players want to stay.
“When they want to stay it’s easier to find an agreement. We’re certain we’ll find an agreement, but as well you cannot put the club in jeopardy for the players.
“I think no matter what we’ll try to keep them, and at some stage we’ll go as far as we can, and if we cannot go further we cannot go further.
“That’s basically it, because that’s the way you have to manage a football club.”
Asked specifically about Alexis, whose frustration was apparent in midweek, he continued, “Alexis Sanchez is a committed player who wants to stay. I’m convinced we’ll find an agreement.
“We are not scared to spend the money, and we are not scared to show the players we love them.
“We want them to earn big money, but we as well have to have a line of conduct.
“I’m convinced that when a player finds his needs [at a club] he has the luxury to say: it’s not 500000 more or less’ that should be decisive.”
At the moment the air of uncertainty is certainly a worry for fans – what a boost it would be if we could get them signed up.
In the immortal words of Rod Tidwell:
“SHOW ME THE MONEY!!”
And in the words of Nelly,
“MUST BE THE MONEEEEY!”
and the words of Biggy Smalls
“MO MONEY, MO PROBLEMS”
And in the words of the O’Jays…
‘FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY’
P. Diddy: It’s all about the Benjamins
Have any recent title winners had their manager *and* 2 best players potentially leaving at the end of a campaign like this? It can’t help. The more you look at 2015/16 the worse it looks.
Fingers crossed anyway, he is if nothing else, very charming and persuasive with players who have actual chins.
Manchester United did the season Fergie left. Rooney was unsettled and rumoured to have submitted a transfer request, and they had old players like Giggs, Scholes, Ferdinand and Vidic who had a lot of uncertainty about their future for various reasons. I guess RVP didn’t get the memo!! ??
They also paid Rooney an ungodly amount of money. That’s not going to happen here. Sanchez will leave and probably Ozil and that will set the standard for future world class players from avoiding arsenal like the plague.
Both players have nearly 18 months left on their contracts, so they wouldn’t be leaving this summer.
If it’s clear they will not sign a new contract then without question they will be sold in the summer.
£50m saleable asset will not be allowed to leave for free 12 months later. Arsenal FC is in your business of making Kroenke money not winning trophies.
50m only, are you kidding me? Pogba is worth double each of them nowadays, Really? I don’t think so. We would get more if they were sold this summer.
But i don’t see it happening. It seems the manager and the players believe they are on to something. Would be nice if that was always the consistent message from their collective performances. There are blips however.
WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY?!!!!!!
why are you guys getting worried. bboth of the players said they are happy at this club and want to stay here. the only reason they still have not signed the deal is because they are holding out for a bigger deal and nothing else. all the players do this so that they get a better deal. if they really wanted to leave the signs will be much worse than being unhappy because they did not won.
Remarkable difference in Alexis’s attitude with and without Ozil in the team.
I think it will be we get both or none.
you kidding? Sanchez is often first to celebrate with Giroud after he scores. Jumped on his back the other day. The frustration comes from the overall performance and having to claw back from 3-0 down, not Giroud specifically.
I completely agree. They’re both so happy when they have santi in the team and those three always look for each other. I think the answer is splash big on them and sign one absolute world class player in the summer. I think they want to stay at Arsenal but they just want the club to show them that they will win trophies here. They’re not like Oscar who needs to go to china to get paid ridiculous salaries, any top club in the world, including Arsenal, would pay them silly money. I personally think they just want evidence that… Read more »
Not just matching ambitions… but frustration stems from having to do double shift and bear extra pressure (in case of Ozil) because teammates around them are sinking like foam on a mug of beer… Sanchez is also providing most assists apart from smacking them in! Even at the time of Henry we weren’t ever a one-man army… If Ox, Walcott, Ramsey can’t step up on a more consistent basis, Wilshere and Santi and Welbz can’t stay fit long enough, then Wenger has to prolly take a call and get a Sanchez/Ozil equivalent. I think the following 5 months could be… Read more »
I can see why top players have doubts about Arsenal’s ambitions and desire. Arsenal are consistent. Since 2012/13 season they’ve lost 7 games each season. Lost 3 so far. Also 3 to 4 defeats by the halfway point each year. For those interested in seeing progress, that results in winning the title or not, i’ll like to see them go unbeaten the rest of the season or lose no more than 2 games and limit the draws. That to me is progress that isn’t happening. Does this squad have the quality to do that? (Don’t forget this happened last season… Read more »
Totally agree. Arsenal have better players every year, but there is no real progress in terms of getting close to winning the title. The problem is Wenger and the board, who have instilled a complacent mentality in the team where second best is good enough. Wenger should move on for the sake of the club.
Sounds encouraging and quite clever from Arsene to publicly state that they want to stay. Baffles me that players (and more so agents I guess) feel as though they deserve 300k + per week when 150-200k per week will surely ensure you’ve more money in the bank than you could ever realistically spend, unless you’re a fucking idiot. I know China and Manchester inflate things but who wants to live in either of those places?! In other words Mesut & Alexis, please accept The Arsenal’s humble offer of lots of millions a year, stay and win some massive trophies with… Read more »
Most people would live in China or Manchester for just a few years for double their salary. You’d be pretty bonkers not to.
You might think that 150k a week is more than enough but I guess once you’re used to that lifestyle then your outgoings will be pretty high and you would like to keep that up long after you retire in your what 15 year career? Therefore they and most people who plan ahead would do exactly that.
It depends if you consider success only by money.
China pays big money because the football there is 3rd rate.
A great place to go when you’re 30+ but only real mercenaries will go there before then.
What price would you put on a bronze statue of yours outside the stadium???
I thought Sanchez only lived for the game and his dogs. How much money does he need to spend on that 😉
Alexis and Ozil haven’t won anything for Arsenal yet. Arsenal shouldn’t add more than 25K per week to their respective salaries. Please do not remind me of the FA cup because Fabianski, Cazorla and Ramsey contributed more and big Yaya Sanogo was also quite decisive in one of those finals.
So you want them to literally do it by themselves in order for it to count? When we’re in the FA Cup final this year, make sure to remind Arsene that his entire lineup should be “Ozil—Alexis” so they can really show us what they’re made of.
Seems to be a problem at the moment. Everyone seems to point the finger at one or two players usually the same ones. When obviously everyone else are playing just super.
Did they not win the fa cup with arsenal, u be happy if we got done by preston sat evening, we got more chance of winning that then champ leag
So Alexis’ 2 goals against Reading and Aston Villa don’t count?
What if they don’t believe they can win the league with Arsenal? Or are waiting to see what happens to the manager in the summer, and who would potentially replace him if he did leave? Big questions and the only answer is on the pitch. Its so obvious Ozil and Sanchez’ frustration with the lack of quality with some of their teammates. There’s nothing worse then watching a beautiful build up only for theo to pathetically volley it first time. When Ozil play with Germany, they play with a certain swagger and everyone is on the same wavelength. The same… Read more »
Hmm .. have you been to China recently, and more specifically to Shanghai??? It is a beautiful modern clean exciting and very much westernized city that any millionaire (or not) would like to live in. So it is not really a sacrifice to live there and make 500k weekly. Let’s hope that our boys don’t go there for a visit before making up their mind!
China is a graveyard for players. The standard is so much lower. Have seen plenty of Asian champions league games with the best Chinese teams in them and they are simply rubbish compared to the EPL. Certainty of payment is another problem let alone the horrendous smog. Alexis could play there when is 40 and still do well.
It’s 3rd rate football but the best players want to play 1st class football.
Shanghai is special but it’s not the only place in China. Plenty of complete shit-holes there as well.
The air in Shanghai, as in most Chinese cities, is so bad. No place if you love dogs or want to raise a healthy family. If they wanna move, let them. Who would give them a pay raise anyhow? Real? Nope! Barca? Nope! Juve? Yepp! Bayern? Maybe? City? Maybe for Özil? Utd? Maybe for Sanchez. I for one think that Arsenal holds a pretty strong hand. If they want to continue play elite football on the same money, there’s not many options out there.
It’s a difficult one with these two players. They both come massive clubs (arguably the two biggest on the planet). They both almost certainly would have given up huge sponsorship deals with Real and Barca to play for the Arsenal. Not to mention the reputation playing for both clubs, they both could easily be on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo. Not to mention the silverware they would have one. The sad fact is, we have seen time and time again, our best players leave for one reason or another, sometimes its money (Cole), sometimes its ambition (Henry), sometimes… Read more »
Henry left for personal reasons during his divorce.
If we want to challenge, we need them to stay
But we have them now, and we can’t challenge.
If you think 5th place is challenging then you have low expectations my friend.
We ARE challenging. We’re only 3 points behind Liverpool, who by the way lost to Bournemouth
Liverpool aren’t the club we need to catch to win the league.
We are 8 points off the top and underachieving with the playing squad we have. Face up to it, don’t ignore it.
I think Wenger and the players and other folks can’t read the table. Can you please tell them? It will help. Chant the difference in points at every game. Tell em how it is. Crooked Kroenke! Wenger has small hands! Make Arsenal Great Again!
We could potentially be 2nd place next weekend. I’m not saying I think that will happen but it’s possible. 8 points off top of the league with 18 games to go. It’s far from over. The Bournemouth result of taken on its own is positive, but given the circumstances we were in, and the fact that only 3 points would be acceptable, that’s what makes the atmosphere so negative. I think wenger should just give Sanchez and Ozil a mini winter break. There’s no reason to play them in the FA Cup, F**k the FA Cup. Our full attention should… Read more »
Hallelujah
Either Chelsea have already won the title and everyone else’s season is over or we are still challenging. Which is it?
We keep fighting we are AFC
Miles off the leaders and sitting in 5th place is not challenging.
You’ve been brainwashed into thinking top 4 is a trophy. Guess what, it’s not.
History shows that the top 6 are all challenging, although the next few games will be make or break for ManU and we’ll know in early Feb if we’re still in it or fallen away. 10 points can change (and in the past it has changed) within a month but the quality of the PL teams in recent year makes that less likely. Chavski have been lucky with injuries and they can’t continue to be so lucky… Can they. The mugsmashers, Spuds and $iteh all play very high tempo football and that will catch up with them through injuries. Will… Read more »
Spot on. And asking arsenal to pay £250,000 a week wages to get Sanchez and Ozil across the line does not seem at all ridiculous, especially in this world of inflated prices. Arsenal can’t charge the most expensive ticket prices in the league and then turn around and cry poor. This is a watershed moment for arsenal. To allow Sanchez and Ozil to leave without offering a reasonable wage increase will further sink arsenal to a new level of mediocrity. It’s a catch 22 on the other hand to allow them to leave on the free is inexcusable and the… Read more »
Yes we do the need them and also to attract other quality players. I wonder if they had aleardy signed whether that would have made a difference with Draxler. Uncertainty over the manager is another risk players will weigh up. Sign them up and see Ramsey to cover some of the increase in wages. If we lose them good luck getting other top players in.
Perfect timing, hot on the heels of the “Alexis frustration is Normal” article.
Although I absolutely love both of these players we have shown time and time again that players are replaceable. I hope they both stay but there are other players out there if not.
Agreed. We should be doing what we can to extend these contracts but if it’s just the highest salary they are after then we know we can’t compete with some others. It won’t be the end of the world if we have sell as long as we use that cash to reinvest.
We have had world class players before (Bergkamp, Henry, Pires) who have signed contracts with us for half the salary they could have got elsewhere, they are the real legends.
We have had other top quality players Spinner they left.
Yes mainly for money or maybe there dreams or maybe because they had a little boy inside them. They’ve all gone on to win trophies and I’ve had a gut full of players fucking off to play for rival clubs and pick up major honours.
These two are a crossroads for where we are heading. If they leave. Picking that kind of quality is not cheap and they will also want huge money. No can’t see that happening.
They could earn great money anywhere like most top players, yes they wont be sold short and will insist on earning top dollar but i honestly beleive that players of this quality will want to be in a successful team that wins trophies. If we can’t compete and it looks like we can’t, then they will leave simple as that, and i honestly wouldn’t blame then, i would rather have a player that demands the best from themselves and others like Sanchez than someone who is just happy to pick up a great wage and except mediocrity. Its upto the… Read more »
Players are replaceable, yes, and over the past 12 years since last winning the league, Wenger has bought plenty of players. The constant is himself and finishing the league every year on average 13,57 points off the league winner. Wenger appears unable to do better these days, he’s lost it. It simply doesn’t matter if he brings in world-class players such as Özil, Sanchez, Cazorla, Koscielny and Mustafi these days.
Of course their are other players available but what is the incentive for them to come to the emirates. You won’t be paid and chances are you will be suffocated with a mentality that fourth place in the table is just the same as top of the table and getting out of the group stage is good enough in the champions league. Whether they leave or not I will always love arsenal but it’s a shame to hear the same old rhetoric. I thought we were in a much more financially stable position now. Especially with the stadium not hanging… Read more »
Just hope it gets sorted soon, our form seems to have dipped a bit since all these constant questions about their contracts
Really like what Wenger is saying here. Think about it; Alexis has won the Copa America twice and played for Barcelona. Özil has won the World Cup and played for Real Madrid. You cannot really go further than that. Sure, you can go to China, but then you’ll realize after about one week you can’t pronounce the team you’re playing for (Mandarin is hard). I hope they sign and I think they will sign. These situations always have me thinking about the way our club is run and how I wish it could be run differently at times.
“Who’s going to win the league??? Who are we going to sign in the transfer window!? When will they sign a new deal?!?”
Nobody has any patience anymore! Relax and enjoy Alexis’s goals and Mesut’s first touches.
Thierry Henry acted towards the end of his Arsenal career in exactly the same fashion that Sanchez is doing now.
This makes me think they are staying. Jolly good!
I tell my wife I want to say, we all say things we don’t mean when under pressure.
The thing about the Arsenal which I take pride in is the fact that we are in senses in this disillusioned world.
Nope, you lost me…:-/
Key players contracts must be handle in a realistic manner to avoid unnecessary controversial issue. It’s no news that Alexis and Ozil are brains behind Arsenal current form. But it will be a disaster if things fall apart and contract talk break down at the dime minutes of the season. Arsenal need to know her stand by now and start making preparation ahead of time just in case both players refuse to sign.
From his actions and what he’s said Alexis wants to be the best – remember his comments about how he can be up there with Ronaldo and Messi? Is he going to get there playing in China? NOOOOOO!
He wants to be the best and win things. I’d be so surprised that I’d eat the entire contents of my ballbag with chopsticks if he ends up there soon.
They’d be surplus at just about any other ‘big’ club (Real/Barca, Munich), they have the chance to be legends at Arsenal. That’s got to count due something….right??
Your crazy. Either of them would waltz into any teams starting lineup. Remember how upset Ronaldo was when Ozil departed for England.
I still want them to ply their trade here at the emirates though. Hopefully till they have won both the league championship and; is it being to greedy to wish for the champions league too? I think not. Then when they are not at the peak of their powers they can learn to manage somewhere else because wenger certainly won’t want them honing their managerial skills here.
…for something.
Regardless of our marquee players staying or not…I still don’t see the team rising above mediocrity…Wenger would find a way to spin his team’s mediocrity come end of season as something positive which majority of the fan base falls for year in, year out.
Exactly saying that too s
Sanchez and ozil will not win anything major with this club as long as wenger and board ..owners are around top 4 run in champions league rake in money everything fine …Wenger wants to be paid millions in salary but dont think players should get it so if there was a choice between paying ozil and Sanchez high wages to keep them but couldn’t afford wenger wages then I know who I be keeping
Higihaga / Jim – you guys have got some balls coming on a pro-Wenger website and calling him out like that. Expect some serious downvotes.
We should support the team regardless.
that is called die-hard fans.
The team refers to everything & everyone.
As fans, yes we want the best for thw team which includes Alexis & Mesut staying longer, the team winning league, CL, etc.
But as fans, if those things do not happen, but knowing that all perties have done their best, we should continue to support them.
That is the true spirit of a true blue fan.
From his mouth to God’s ears.
If Arsenal does not sign the two….
Can we find the replacement for both, honestly?
What comes first, money or Arsenal, when is enough, enough? greedy bastards.
I hope the contract stand off’s have as much to do with salary as they do squad investment.
Because you know if they sign new deals it’ll be used as an excuse not to strengthen the team.
Chelsea 6 clear Conte wants to strengthen, Arsene 8 adrift and he’s overjoyed with his lot……
The whole mentality right the way through the club is wrong.
It would be total capitulation to lose our best players now. It would be a statement saying we are not a big club after all but just posing as one with our shiny big stadium and highest ticket prizes in the world. It would also probably lead to alot of demonstrating from supporters if the club just went ahead and sold our best players and decided that 4th is a good enough ambition for Arsenal. And to be honest they probably think it is because it would keep the cash flow flowing close to its maximum potential and it also… Read more »
With or without Sanchez and Ozil we are not going to win the league title this season. The current form suggests Arsenal has not changed over the past decade. This worries me more than Sanchez and Ozil leaving. Ozil leaving wouldn’t make much of an impact IMO but Sanchez?
I know they are good players but i thought it was a team game not just two players
cant wait for the team line up should be intersting
They will stay arsene wenger is not stupid or a liar … mark my words