Arsenal are growing confident that midfielder Mesut Ozil will sign a fresh contract despite the uncertainty over the future of manager Arsene Wenger. The German footballer joined the north London giants for a club-record £42.5m fee from Real Madrid back in the summer of 2013.
Ozil had been a chief contributor for the Gunners last term as his 18 assists guided the club to a second-placed finish in the league – their best-ever showing since the ‘Invincibles’ from the 2003-04 season.
However, he has failed to replicate a similar performance this campaign and his tally of just four assists in the top flight has played a part in the Gunners’ stutter since the turn of the year.
Earlier in January, Ozil revealed that he wanted more clarity over the future of Arsene Wenger before showing his commitment towards his present employers.
But, the World Cup winner has now clarified that he is prepared to stick with the Gunners irrespective of what the future holds for the French boss.
“Everything is open. We had talks with Arsenal. Right now I concentrate on the current season,” Ozil told Bild, via The Daily Mail.
“Arsene Wenger was one of the main reasons I joined Arsenal. But I know that sometimes things go very fast in football and that you can never plan something.
“This is why it would be wrong to say that my future depends on my coach.”
Wenger has been the subject of immense criticism from the faithful following the 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, last 16, and this has brought protests around the stadium to deny him a contract beyond the summer.
But, it appears more and more that Wenger will sign a fresh two-year contract in the summer, and this could coincide with the Gunners’ plans to offer Ozil with a long-term deal on wages worth £200,000-a-week.
Ozil is fast approaching his 150th appearance for Arsenal, who are five points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool in the league – with two games in hand.
