Day before yesterday, Francis Coquelin, Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny renewed their contracts together, confirming their presence at this football club for the present season and the next. It puts to rest any niggling doubts few may have over their futures, although it would also be fair to say that these contract speculations were hardly the main subplot of the season.
Not to bring up the age-old topic for discussion again (although I suspect bringing them up proves how vital the topic itself is) but we need to talk about Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. They are our marquee players, the ones who’d make Top 10 listicles for the best players in the English league. And it’s possible they may leave our beloved club in the summer.
Let’s talk about Alexis Sanchez first, for his case is a more open-and-shut one. Without bothering to sugarcoat the hard truth, I’m just going to be blunt. If Arsenal do not win the Premier League or the Champions League, Sanchez is not signing a contract extension.
Credits: The Sun
The truly ridiculous aspect of the aforementioned sentence is that I don’t even feel like I’ve gone out on a limb while saying it. The equation with him could not be more bleedingly obvious. It’s obvious that he is angry when Aaron Ramsey skies a shot, or when Arsenal drop points where they shouldn’t. It’s not an elaborate PR gig, it’s his natural frustration that manifests itself when he bursts his lungs out and fails.
It’s obvious that he joined Arsenal for recognition and trophies, and if he won’t get them, he won’t be around for long. Winning the FA Cup may be enough to convince him to stay, but that’s really a 5% maybe than a 50% maybe.
Look at it from his point of view. Sanchez did not join the club because it was his boyhood dream, nor because he feels any unique affinity to the country or culture. He came to Arsenal only because he believed in the manager, the players and the ambition. It’s safe to say those beliefs are on the path of being well and truly betrayed.
It is psychologically validated that acceptance is the best coping mechanism. Bearing that in mind, I hope Arsenal fans accept his inevitable departure well, for we sure as hell aren’t winning anything in England and Europe to change his mind. I hope the fans are sympathetic enough to understand that when Alexis calls it quits, he ought not to be branded a money-grabbing mercenary. Sanchez is just a guy who wants to play football and win at it, so if we can’t offer him that, it’s Alexis who should feel stabbed in the back, not Arsenal.
Credits: South China Morning Post
Mesut Ozil appears to be a tad more complicated situation. Logical sense would dictate that even Ozil would follow the exit door if his ambition is not being satiated, but his recent comments on his future relating to the managerial position have made it a different ball game. In an interview with Kicker, this is what the German said:
“I feel very, very happy at Arsenal and have let the club know I would be willing to extend. The fans want me to stay, and now it’s only down to the club. The club knows I am here mainly because of Arsene Wenger, who brought me here and whose trust I have. The club also knows that I want clarity about what the manager is doing.”
In his Swansea pre-match conference, Arsene Wenger called Kicker’s interpretation of Ozil’s quotes misinterpreted. He further added:
“He would like to know what happens on the managerial front of course, but I don’t think that is the main part of his decision. There are many other ingredients in any negotiation and hopefully we will find a conclusion very quickly with him. I’m very relaxed about the situation.”
Despite Wenger’s apparent relaxation, a lot of what Ozil has said – not to mention his general career trajectory at the club – is worth pondering upon, for it helps predict what he might do next. Unless Ozil and Wenger were coaxed by the Arsenal PR Media to say what they did, we now know that the managerial situation is a factor in Ozil’s eventual decision. How big a factor it is, is anyone’s guess.
Again, as has been repeatedly pointed out on various platforms, Ozil did not openly say that if Wenger would stay, he would too (although he does imply that). It’s clear that Ozil’s relationship with Arsene is one of the reasons he joined the club in the first place, and a reason he might stay.
However, I don’t think it would be impossible to keep Ozil even if Wenger is not the man in charge at the other end of June. Mostly, it depends on Wenger’s replacement and the current mood around the club. Should Wenger leave the club after this season – as seems a distinct possibility – would Ozil leave the club if Wenger’s replacement was Joachim Low?
Also, with Alexis Sanchez definitely on the way out, can Wenger and Ivan Gazidis afford the PR disaster of losing two world-class players in the same transfer window again? The ramifications of Arsenal losing Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in 2011 were hugely negative, surely the club dare not repeat that?
It puts all the more pressure on Arsenal to renew Mesut’s contract, especially now that they also have money. Ozil’s quotes have firmly put the ball in Arsene’s court – whether that was accidental or on purpose, your guess is as good as mine.
Another reason why Arsenal just might keep Ozil would depend on the summer market. Ozil’s previously bona fide “world-class footballer” stature has been tainted and greyed by the English media since his arrival at Arsenal. There are many who have begun to question his footballing ability – even Arsenal fans – which may also drive potential suitors away.
It’s all about mainstream player perception. Look at Koscielny – quick, agile, excellent in the air and on the ball. On paper and on the pitch, he’s an absolute dream of a center-back to have in anyone’s ranks. Yet, since his personality is not as marketed as that of Mats Hummels or Sergio Ramos, never do you find the Frenchman seriously linked to a Bayern Munich or a Paris Saint-Germain. I have no doubt that one of the reasons Koscielny extended his contract was because he loves it here, but could another reason be that no bigger club got in touch?
I have no doubt Arsenal want to keep Ozil, but it’s Ozil’s mind that appears conflicted. My honest guess is that he hasn’t made up his mind yet, and he will not until the season ends. In the meantime, the best way to hold up our end of the bargain is to win as many games as possible, keep in line a stellar managerial replacement and finally hand the German a pay rise. Couple that with little to no interest from Europe’s Top Three, and we may just mitigate the potential departures of Alexis and Wenger.
P.S. Other responsibilities have meant that over the years, the time I spend to blog have been hugely downsized. It has reduced my commitment to this platform and my humble audience, which I’m afraid is irreparable. So, from now on, to ensure that this website does not become a burden to the Internet, I will only post on impulse. I won’t spend hours typing previews and reports on matches that mean nothing in the long-term, and in the process miss commenting on truly seismic events.
And whenever Arsenal terribly please me or upset me, I promise you will be the first to know.
-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]
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