Tag Archives: Mesut Özil

Mesut Ozil to follow Ramsey out of The Arsenal?

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The not so secret  big news broke yesterday that Aaron Ramsey is departing at the end of the season for Juventus.

Ramsey is reportedly getting a bumper wage of anything from £250,000-400,000 a week depending on who you wish to believe and if that’s before or after tax. Either way its a shedoad of money. That not only sets him up royally for life it also sets his kids and grandkids up, so fair play to him for that.

Ramsey’s agents have played a blinder. The final contract from The Arsenal was taken off the table a few months ago after over 18moths of negioations. It was very clear that Ramsey had no intentions of signing the contract, despite having “agreed” it.  I dont really blame him when you look at what Mesut Ozil is getting. The rumoured £200k deal is a lot less than he has ended up getting at Juventus.

For Juventus it’s a no-brainer, they are getting a great player for a max of £20m a season including his wages, its like they signed a £60m player paying him £200k a week, something The Arsenal will have to be looking to do this summer if we want to challenge higher up the table next season. There was no way in the world we could’ve matched the money Juventus are paying out.

Emery clearly has a way of playing in his mind and the type of players he needs. Some thought it would often be a choice of Ramsey or Ozil as the false number 10 this season, but often Emery has dropped both even when fully fit.

It seems the decision to either get Ramsey on a wage that wouldn’t slaughter our already too high wage bill or let him go was taken. I wouldn’t be shocked to see more stories about Ozil leaving to a number of sides in the gutter press and click bait junkies from now until the end of the season.

The sad truth is we need to lower the wage bill to rebuild and Ozil is not worth his huge £350k wages. He has recently crossed a barrier meaning he has missed more games than he has played at The Arsenal.

Right now I wouldn’t give Ozil a monkey a week and all the flat whites he can drink, let alone almost the price of a nice 2 bed flat in Islington per week.

If Emery does not fancy Ozil, we need to get shot and use his wages elsewhere. The £18.2m a year tied up in him could finance a deal for a £50m signing; paying £157k a week. Our outgoings would be the same but emery would be able to recruit someone more suitable to his system.

The rules on increased wages is a burden to us right now. We are miles ahead of the FFP rules and will be further in front come the new commercial deals this summer – which will increase club income by over £40million a year.

We have plenty of cash in the bank and this is before the Champions League places are sorted for next season. But the rule stating that wage costs can only increase by £7m a year will hinder Emery’s plans.

Arsenal are able to get around this rule if they show where additional income came from – and we did in 2017/18 increase the wage bill by £24million. However, the club’s latest financial figures showed the club’s revenue was down more than £40m to £388.2m for the year ending May 31, 2018.

For this season, revenue is likely to remain the same or show another slight drop. It would have been hard for the club to justify a wage increase above £7m this season taking into account the lack of player sales.

With Petr Cech hanging up his hat and Ramsey leaving, Arsenal will also release Danny Welbeck and Stephan Lichsteiner this summer. That will free up around £400,000 in weekly wages – or £20m a year. You add the £7m we can increase under FFP and we are talking about over £500,000 in freed up wages.

That should be more than enough to purchase the central defender, left back, winger and central midfielder (Ramsey replacement) we need.

If we can get all or part of Ozils wages off the books then it really does open things up for Emery to get in more of his players and hopefully a few fit defenders.

As for Ramsey I guess if you call him a legend or not is up to you. A bit like labelling a player “world class” it is subjective. There is no set criteria.

He came back from a very bad leg break, he scored 2 FA Cup winning goals, has been a model pro and father on and off the pitch. Him going over to the Cardiff fans recently shows he’s not forgotten his roots and he is clearly a proud Welshmen.

Will he be missed and still loved as much as when Brady moved to Juventus? Probably not. But fair play to him he is moving abroad and to one of the games greatest ever clubs.

If we play Juventus I would certainly afford him a clap onto and off the pitch, whilst hoping he has a stinker for 90mins.

Hopefully next season when we are in the Champions League, Matteo Guendouzi does to Ramsey what Cesc Fabregas did to Patrick Vieira in 2005.

Ramsey has had 11 years playing for The Arsenal, something we would all sell our Nan’s to do. A lot more have done a lot less for the club and got more credit. I am very sure he will do his best, when picked for the rest of the season. In a game of ego’s and selfish players,  he has kept his head down during his career, not courted limelight or controversy, and is one of life’s gentlemen.

Good luck Ramsey.

Gav

Arsenal’s new assist king makes case for new contract

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During the Bournemouth v Liverpool game, a statistic flashed across the screen. It was the “deadliest duo” one that Sky Sports invented. They try and show which two players have been involved in the most goals with each other (ie assist and goal scorer).

Arsenal’s deadliest duo was Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

I was not surprised by the presence of Aubameyang, who has been on fire this season. It was Aaron Ramsey that surprised me.

Ramsey has hardly played in the Premier League this season. His start against Manchester United was his first in the Premier League since September. He ha started just 7 of 16 games – playing just 656 minutes in total.

Compare this to (the currently “injured”) Mesut Ozil.

The German has started 10 games, and played 825 minutes in the Premier League. It is clear who Unai Emery thinks is his first choice number 10.

It was announced recently that Arsenal would not be renewing Ramsey’s contract. Fans were split on the decision but the majority agreed that is made sense. The feeling was that Ramsey did not fit into Unai Emery’s system. That Ozil, the assist king, was more suitable. I agreed with that.

But often your eyes and mind deceive you, and when you look at the statistics, they tell a different story.

With 6 assists this season, it is Ramsey who is the clubs top creator in the Premier League – not Ozil. In fact, when you compare Ramsey to Ozil in assists, passes completed and chances created, it is the Welshman who comes out on top overall.

Is the real truth that Ramsey actually fits into Emery’s system better than Mesut Ozil? And that he has over taken the German as Arsenal’s main creative force?

Taking into account that Ramsey also has a higher work rate, is better at pressing, and is a bigger goal threat than Mesut Ozil, it is quite easy to make a case that it should be Rambo staying at Arsenal, not Ozil.

Would I be too upset if Arsenal cashed in on Ozil in January (rumours of Inter Milan offering £25million to arsenal) and gave Ramsey a new contract? No.

Would I be upset if Arsenal kept them both? No.

Ramsey is making a case not only to get a new contract at Arsenal, but to be first choice number 10.

It certainly raises the valid point that Arsenal need to revisit Ramsey’s contract…

Keenos

The non-story of Arsenal players ” dangerous nitrous oxide binge”

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So Arsenal made the front pages today with news that Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Matteo Guendouzi and others were filmed inhaling nitrous oxide in a club back in August.

I really do not care.

Anyone that has ever taken nitrous oxide (which the press sensationally label “hippy crack” and the rest of us “balloons”) will know that it is pretty much harmless.

Some state that it “could lead to death” due to lack of oxygen, but there has never been a single reported case of someone dying after inhaling a balloon. Crossing the could lead to death. Getting on the Central Line at 6pm could lead to death.

Out of all of the “highs” that are out there – from drink to drugs – balloons are the least damaging on your body. In fact, beyond the couple of minute head rush you get due to lack of oxygen, there is no evidence that they do any damage to you.

Balloons have become some players “drug” of choice due to how little impact it has on the body.

I would much rather my players do a couple of balloons on a night rather than drink alcohol until they pass out, take drugs, or smoke. Even Red Bull is more dangerous then balloons.

Recently players (most notable of Leicester) have been caught chewing snus (a tobacco product illegal to buy in the UK). This gives a small high and an energy boost, and can cause serious gum and mouth damage  and potential mouth cancer. Snus is a bigger issue amongst footballers than balloons.

The incident happened in August. The bar owner has sat on footage since then, before selling it to the papers. I wonder how selling this sort of thing to the papers infringes GDRP these days? Especially as the consumption of nitrous oxide is not a criminal act.

What the bar owner has done is shot himself in the foot.

No footballer or other celebrity will ever hire or visit his establishment again knowing that what they do inside is not private. That the owner or member of staff is willing to sell CCTV images to the papers for a few thousand.

If it is the owner who sold the CCTV, the hope is Tape London loses enough business from this privacy infringement that it soon has to shut down. It it was a member of staff, they should be prosecuted by Tape London to the full extent of the law.

I think what is for certain is that stories like these will not get the national condemnation and criticism that the papers expected. Most fans will side with my opinion. That the players did little wrong and the bar should be ashamed of themselves.

Even Absolute radio are laughing this morning about the “danger binge on nitrous oxide”.

A final thought on this.

In Paul Merson’s fabulous book How Not to Be a Professional Footballer, he talks a lot about the boozy days of the late 80s & early 90s, and how he is glad smart phones were not about then. He talks about doing cocaine in a black cab, and being carried out of bars, pubs and clubs battered. People were decent back then and would not sell a story to a paper. These days, scumbags like the owners of Tape London are willing to sell anyone out for a bit of money.

In other news, I have seen some say that Lucas Torreira needs a rest.

He has only started 10 league games. Played 1200 minutes in all competitions. He has not been over played. Also he is on 4 yellow cards; so he will get a natural break sooner rather than later.

I am sure the clubs fitness staff will have the data and be able to spot when his performances dip physically. When his muscles are on the verge of breaking down.

With the busy Christmas period coming up, every player will be rotated in and out. Torreira’s will come naturally when he picks up the 5th yellow card of the season.

There is no point resting him for a game, for him to then get booked on his returne causing him to miss another game.

Enjoy the wet Friday. We return tomorrow against Huddersfield.

Keenos