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Mesut Ozil heaps pressure on Arsenal ownership

By Rucker Haringey

Jul 28, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger speaks during a press conference after the MLS All-Star game between the MLS All-Star Team and Arsenal at Avaya Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger speaks during a press conference after the MLS All-Star game between the MLS All-Star Team and Arsenal at Avaya Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mesut Ozil will only stay at Arsenal if Arsene Wenger stays

You can bet that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is very happy with Mesut Ozil today. After months of idle speculation, the German talisman finally came out in support of his embattled manager yesterday.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone, but Ozil finally confirmed that his future at Arsenal is tied to his manager’s. Simply put, Ozil will not commit his long-term future to the Gunners until Wenger’s own immediate future is sorted out.

Arsenal fans should be pleased with this development. They had to be concerned with the lack of progress between the club and player on a new contract. Delaying the talks over Wenger’s future is far more understandable than pushing for additional money. Ozil’s latest comments make it seem like he’s ready to sign a new contract is his manager’s future is sorted out.

The higher-ups at Arsenal will view the player’s latest comments as bittersweet. On one hand, they’re thrilled to know what Ozil is willing to stay. On the other, they can’t be happy with the pressure the German star is heaping on the club.

Make no mistake about it, this is a bold power play by Arsenal. He is attempting to force the club into providing Wenger a new contract. It’s quite possible that Ozil has the leverage to make it happen, but it’s still going to be a tough pill to swallow for the Gunners’ board room.

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Of course, the silence of Alexis Sanchez regarding his manager’s future continues to be deafening. Retaining Ozil is important to Arsenal, but hanging on to Alexis is absolutely vital. The Gunners will need to sound out their Chilean star’s feelings before making a firm commitment to the combination of Wenger and Ozil.

In fairness to Arsenal, Ozil’s comments probably don’t change much for their future actions. They’ve given zero signs that they’re interested in anyone other than Wenger being their manager for the next few seasons. As such, Ozil’s comments about wanting Wenger to stay simply reinforce the path they were already going down.

Mesut Ozil wants to stay at Arsenal and play for Arsene Wenger. Most people associated with the Gunners feel the same way. It seems that only Alexis Sanchez could scupper those plans.

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