Mesut Ozil cleared the speculation surrounding his future at Arsenal, insisting he would like to stay at the Emirates, before aiming a dig at club legend Thierry Henry.
Ozil has insisted that he is happy to commit his future to Arsenal, but revealed that there was one stumbling block in the way. Before signing a new deal, he first wants to know whether manager Arsene Wenger will extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium.
Ozil was speaking in an interview with the German football magazine Kicker, when he said: “I am very, very happy at Arsenal and have let the club know that I would be ready to sign a new contract. The fans want that I stay and now it is just down to the club.”
Arsenal shelled out a club record sum of £42.5 million when they bought the play-maker from Real Madrid in 2013, and the Germany international iterated that he signed with the club because of Arsene Wenger, and that he wants clarity on his manager’s future before putting pen to paper on a new deal.
He added: “The club knows that I am here most of all because of Arsène Wenger. He is the one who signed me and he is the one whose trust I have. The club also knows that I want to be clear what the manager is going to [in the future].”
Wenger’s contract with Arsenal runs out at the end of the season, and like Ozil, his future has been up in the air in recent months. The Frenchman himself had remained coy over the futures of Ozil and Alexis Sanchez when he claimed that there was a possibility that the duo could leave the club on free transfers.
Meanwhile, Ozil also took a dig at club legend Thierry Henry, who had accused the German and teammate Sanchez of holding Arsenal “hostage” by not signing new deals with the Gunners despite regular overtures by the club hierarchy.
“Everyone has a right to say what they want but what they have to say doesn’t interest me,” said Ozil.
“Ex-players or other people who have a view don’t know what is actually being said between me and the club.”
The German international has been a resounding success for Arsenal, netting 29 times while assisting a further 50 goals during his time with the club. Last season was his most productive as he nearly broke Henry’s Premier League record of 20 assists in a season.
This season though, Ozil has his scoring boots on, hitting the back of the net nine times (7 assists), which also includes his first ever hat-trick for the Gunners, in the Champions League against Ludogorets.
Ozil has just 18 months remaining on his contract and quite naturally speculation about his future at Arsenal remains rampant. With Ozil making his intentions clear though, this is one saga that could end as soon as Arsene Wenger’s position at the club is clear.
