Gunners contract rebel Mesut Ozil have accentuated that his and Arsenal team-mate Alexis Sanchez’s futures at the Emirates is not “important” – when compared to their fight to seal a place in the Champions League for the next season.
Both Ozil and Sanchez have stalled negotiations over new deals until the end of the season – with only a year left on their current contracts with Arsenal.
Arsenal have suffered a disastrous run of results in the Premier League and are now sixth in the Premier League table – seven points behind fourth placed Manchester City.
And now German superstar Ozil have urged all to unite and focus more on events on the pitch.
When asked about the chances of signing a new deal at Arsenal, Ozil said: “At the moment it would be wrong to think about that.”
“The team are having a more difficult spell and at this stage I am not important, no other player is important, what is important is the club.”
“We’ve got aims we want to meet this season, there is still lots for us to play for. We still desperately want to qualify for the Champions League for next season as well.”
“We will talk in the summer and clear things then but at the moment what is important is Arsenal, not me or any other players.”
Wenger had a huge role to play behind Ozil’s switch to the Emirates four years ago from La Liga giants Real Madrid.
He said: “As a player you cannot pick your coach.”
“You cannot decide who manages the club, I always said he was the most important factor in me coming here.”
“He has been here for 20 years and has given a lot to this club and I think he deserves respect for what he has achieved here.”
Mesut Ozil has not been shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year award following a series of sloppy performances in 2017 – where he found the net just once.
However, the World Cup winner has hit back at the critics.
The 28-year-old said: “I don’t really pay too much attention to what the experts say.”
“It comes down to maybe not seeing all of my statistics, maybe my style sometimes does make it look like I’m not 100 per cent there, giving my absolute everything.”
“But that is my body language, that is the way I have always been. That is the way I am and I won’t change that. I always give 100 per cent, I always fight for everything.”
“Of course, in some stages you can be annoyed when things go wrong on the pitch.”
“You can express frustration but there is no player, especially not me, who will go out and give 90 per cent and not give everything or think ‘we are going to lose today, what is the point, I will hold myself back.”
“That doesn’t happen at all so the important thing is not to let your head go down.”