Tag Archives: Mesut Özil

Arsenal set to SELL up to 11 senior players (and none are Ozil or Sanchez)

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In recent weeks, the big transfer news at Arsenal has been about the contract situations of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

It has been well written by many that both have 18 months left on their contract and are currently stalling on negotiations. Some say they are waiting on Arsene Wenger to declare his future, or for it to be announced who his replacement might be, others say they are driven by money, with rumours of a $400,000 offer on the table from China – I always laugh that the offer is ‘from China’ without mentioning a particular club.

Some say that want to ensure they are playing for a competitive club, and will wait to see if we do challenge (and win) the title, whilst Ian Wright thinks they will both sign, but will do in the summer where they will be worth even more if they take Arsenal to the title.

The future of both is concerning for all Arsenal fans, but there are another 11 senior players who’s future at the club might not be bright. And entire starting XI could leave Arsenal this summer.

David Ospina has been linked away from Arsenal ever since Petr Cech joined. Currently the clubs Champions League keeper, he is also likely to play in the FA Cup in the New Year. The Colombian will be 29 next season, entering the peak for a goal keeper. Would he really want to spend his best years sitting on Arsenal’s bench?

The writing is also on the wall for Carl Jenkinson. The boyhood Arsenal fan looks like a deer in headlights every time he puts on an Arsenal shirt. He is good enough to be 2nd choice right back behind Hector Bellerin, but in his own head, Arsenal are too big for him. His demise from one of West Ham’s best players a few years ago has been incredible.

When Frenchman Mathieu Debuchy started against Bournemouth, some were surprised he was still at the club. His contract does not expire until 2019, but with injuries now piling up, and reports of a poor attitude at times, if he is not sold next summer, he will surely be sent out on loan.

Per Mertesacker. The big German. The captain. His contract runs out at the end of the year and there has been no talk about him getting a new one. With the form of Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny, and the development of Rob Holding, Arsenal no longer require his services. He will be able to get himself a nice big contract back in Germany.

After a season of poor form, Arsenal will surely sign a stronger left back than either Nacho Monreal or Kieran Gibbs. With Gibbs being younger and English, and Monreal’s future potentially tied to that of best mate Santi Cazorla (more later), it is the Spaniard who will make way.

Another on borrowed time is Calum Chambers. After a brilliant start to his Arsenal career where he looked like an assured, ball playing centre back, he has gone backwards. Part of this is due to him being played in multiple positions – a bit like Phil Jones at Man U – and part of it due to not getting enough game time. He has made 10 appearances for Middlesborough this season but has been outshone by fellow youngster Ben Gibson. With Rob Holding also at the club, Arsenal will struggle to give to young centre backs enough time to develop. He might be saved by the fact Debuchy & Jenkinson are likely to go, meaning Arsenal need a back up right back.

Santi Cazorla has already played his last game for Arsenal Football Club in my opinion. Now 32, with 18 months of poor injuries behind (and head) of him, his contract runs out at the end of this season. I can not see Arsenal offering him any more than a new 1 year deal. Something that Cazorla will surely not accept. He has spoken previously about finishing his career at Spain, and that time has come. And he will take Nacho Monreal with him.

Another who’s Arsenal career is almost certainly over his Jack Wilshere. Playing once a week for Bournemouth does not mean he is good enough to play twice a week for Arsenal. He clearly enjoys the sea air, a lower intensity of life, and time away from his trouble making friends. Bournemouth are able to manage his work load in a way that a big club like Arsenal are unable to facilitate. Arsenal need fit players playing twice a week. Wilshere does not fit the bill.

Joel Campbell is out on loan at Sporting. With the development of Alex Iwobi, nothing will change for Campbell next year. He will still be surplus to requirements, and will either be loaned once more, or sold.

Homegrown striker Chuba Akpom is at a cross roads in his career. He has not progressed from talented youngster to senior superstar. 4 average loan deals, and Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez ahead of him, there will be no chance for him to break through in the future.

Lastly we come to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Whilst everyone is going on about Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez’s contract coming to an end in 2018, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s also does. Another player at a cross roads in his career, he has never really secured a place in Arsenal’s starting XI. He is getting a run now, a chance to prove himself, but if he fails to impose himself on games consistently, he might have to look elsewhere next summer, take a step down to get regular football.

 

Arsenal could end up off loading an entire XI. I wonder how this lot would get on in the Premier League:

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Keenos

Great result, awful stadium

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When Aaron Ramsey came at 1-0 and 25 minutes to go, my mate turned around to me and said “here we go, half an hour of hanging onto the lead.” My response was that it was frustrating when we are 1-0 up and our substitutes take the pace out of the team, resulting in us being unable to hit teams on the counter.

“FFS Ramsey” I shouted i the 93rd minute, as he missed his 3rd chance of the match. But by then, the game was over, we were 5-1 up, and it was said entirely in jest.

Arsenal played brilliantly. There first half play did not give them the goals they deserved, last ditch tackles in the first 10 minutes stopping us scoring a tap in.

When Arsene Wenger signed Alexis Sanchez, a few said he would be a striker. Wenger saw him as sharing attributes with Luis Suarez. His hard work, his technical ability, his pace and his ability to finish any chance. He could be Suarez without the attitude. Many scoffed, and it has taken into his 3rd season at Arsenal to be played up top.

And Arsenal’s opener reminded me a lot of Luis Suarez. Sanchez chased down a poor pass, got to the ball 1st, and was clean through with Mesut Ozil on his shoulder. Other players would not have chased down that ball, Sanchez did. GOAL.

His hat trick was brilliant. 3 different goals, including a sublime (albeit offside) 3rd where he left the keeper on the floor without even touching the ball. He is World Class.

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5-1 away from home took us into second place and closed the gap in goal difference. But as good as we were, West Ham were equally as bad.

Slaven Bilic looks a broken man. Just 6 months ago many Arsenal fans had him at the top of their list as a replacement for Wenger – I did find it odd that this was based on good punditry whilst working for the BBC, whilst the same fans moan about Wenger working for French television.

West Ham are 1 point above the relegation zone. 12 points from 14 games. And a big reason for that is the stadium.

The London Stadium (Olympic Stadium? Whatever it is now called) is awful.

However bad we all thought it might be, it was worse. A lot worse. It is simply not a football stadium.

Massive gaps throughout the stadium, a huge distance between upper and lower tier, a massive distance from the pitch, and West Ham fans unable to fill it.

I actually feel sorry for West Ham fans. At least when Arsenal moved, it was 2 roads over from the current stadium, and an arena purpose built for football. West Ham’s new ground is shit.

It is a 20 minute walk from the nearest station before a game, this turns into a 45 minute walk after a game, going backwards and forwards through the Olympic Park, through Westfields, to get to the station. And the area is grim at night.

No local pubs, no burger vans outside, no one selling flags, scarves, nothing associated with normal football grounds.

It actually makes me wonder whether next year I will be back (if they stay up). The stadium is that bad.

At the time they won the Olympic Stadium, West Ham fans thought they had won the lottery. But like with many lottery winners, there comes a darkness. And that darkness is a stadium which is not theres, not made for football, and where the stewards celebrate Arsenal goals.

And the ultimate darkness could be that they get relegated.

It was a great result, but it is an awful stadium.

Happy Sunday

Keenos

Special relationship key to Mesut Ozil future

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In the last 48 hours, Arsenal superstar Mesut Ozil has been massively linked with a move away from the club with his reported destination being Manchester United.

It is easy to write this off as simple speculation. It is international break, newspapers have little to write about, so not too many hits, so let’s link the Premier League’s best player with the Premier League’s biggest club. Instant hits from the hundreds of millions of worldwide fans who before yesterday were just keeping an eye on ‘injury news’.

Add in that Mesut Ozil is currently in discussions for a new contract, the link could also be put down as Ozil’s side using Manchester’s 2nd club to get him the deal he wants at Arsenal. So often Arsenal have been on the receiving end of this, used to get a player a better deal elsewhere.

When you then mix in Manchester United being mid-table, in the Europa League and a club moving backwards rather than forwards, there is very little substance in the speculation.

But then you remember Paul Pogba.

At Juventus, becoming a global superstar. 4 league titles, 2 Coppa Italia’s and a recent Champions League runners up medal. But he left for Manchester United, and found 300,000 reasons a week to join them.

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A lot of rubbish is written about players these days. A desire to play, a desire to win medals. But ultimately, with many modern day players, their biggest desire is that of their bank account.

It is why so many players have gone to the Middle-East, to China, to America over the years. It is why Yaya Toure left Barcelona for Manchester City. Ignore the ‘footballing project’ that they so often talk about, it is all about their bank balance.

Ozil moving to Manchester United would see him more than double his current £140,000 a week wage. Arsenal currently have a reported £160,000 contract on the table. Manchester United would see him probably double that. That would more than make up for the falling pound against the Euro.

And then there is one very special reason why Mesut Ozil would move to Manchester United.

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In 2010, Mesut Ozil left Werder Bremen to join Real Madrid. At the time, Arsenal were heavily linked with the player. He ended up joining Real Madrid for just €15,000,000.6 weeks before he joined Madrid, they appointed their new manager, Jose Mourinho.

Whilst that summer Angel Di Maria was Real Madrid’s biggest signing, he was one done by those above Mourinho. Meanwhile, Ozil was his man. His signing. The man he planned to build the team around.

Ozil picked Mourinho and Real Madrid over Wenger and Arsenal.

Wenger finally got his man in 2013, signing Ozil for ~£45,000,000. His and Arsenal’s biggest ever signing. Mourinho had already left Madrid to Chelsea.

On that busy last 48 hours of the transfer window, Arsenal were also in discussion with Chelsea about loaning in Demba Ba. The deal feel through after Mourinho got a sniff of the Ozil deal. Jose knew how good a player Ozil was, and feared that alongside Demba Ba, Arsenal could shoot to the title.

The Ba deal did not happen, the Ozil deal did. Mourinho clearly loves Ozil.

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“Özil is unique. There is no copy of him – not even a bad one. He is the best number 10 in the world.”

“He made things very easy for me and for his teammates with his football vision and the decisions he made,” he assured, arguing that it was a mistake to let him go.

“Everyone loves him and sees a bit of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane in him. We didn’t accept Arsenal’s offer for Demba Ba because the signing of Özil makes them title contenders.”

Ozil and his special relationship with the Special One could be the most important reason out of the 300,000 reasons a week he has to join Manchester United.

Keenos