Arsenal in crisis over Mesut Ozil contract talks

Arsenal has every reason to be very concerned about Mesut Ozil delaying talks of a contract extension

Outwardly, everyone associated with Arsenal is playing it cool in regards to Mesut Ozil’s decision to delay talks of a contract extension until after the Euros. That lack of worry is just a facade covering the intense worry of everyone at the North London club.

Earlier this week, The Times reported that Ozil has elected to once again put contract extension talks with Arsenal on hold. That decision should be intensely to those who want to keep the midfielder at the club for years to come.

From an Arsenal perspective, there is zero potential upside to this news. If Ozil were completely content playing for the Gunners, he’d want to sign a contract extension before he went to play for Germany at the Euros. After all, playing in such a prestigious international competition does carry some risk of injury for the Arsenal talisman.

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On the other hand, Ozil isn’t likely to drastically change Arsenal’s perception of him as a player during the competition. Arsene Wenger and company already realize that he’s a world-class talent whose presence is vital to their midfield. Even if he plays his best football during the Euros, it won’t really elevate Arsenal’s evaluation of him. They already believe him to be great.

Ozil and his representatives are smart enough to understand this. That means that their decision to postpone contract talks must not be related to Arsenal. Instead, logic dictates that the decision was made with another club, or clubs, in mind.

There are only two really logical reasons why Ozil would want to push-off talks until after the prestigious competition. The first, is that he is concerned about Arsenal’s level of investment in this summer’s transfer window.

You’d think the signing of Granit Xhaka would help allay those fears, but perhaps Ozil wants to use his contract status as a pressure point to make Wenger spend big on a striker. You couldn’t blame Ozil if this was his line of thinking. A world-class front man would make his job even easier.

The second option, and the more concerning one from an Arsenal perspective, is that Ozil wants to see if there’s a better situation for him at another club. He could be planning to utilize the Euro stage to drum up big-time interest from some of the world’s heavyweight clubs.

Arsenal fans will respond that perhaps Ozil is trying to drive up his price with the Gunners, but I find that hard to believe. Sure, he might be able to play himself into a few extra thousand pounds per week if he dominates the Euros, but that’s a big gamble to take when an injury could crush your contract.

It’s much more reasonable to think that he wants to fully explore his other potential options before committing his long-term future to Arsenal. Gunner fans won’t want to hear that assertion, but it is the logical one.

Ultimately, I think Mesut Ozil will eventually sign a long-term contract extension with Arsenal this summer, but his decision to wait until after the Euros is troubling. The longer he delays, the larger the probability that another club can turn his head with a big money offer, and a better chance at silverware.