Two of the biggest "Arsenal" stars, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, have not signed a new contract with their team so far, and in less than two months, these footballers will be able to negotiate with any other team, and next summer they could leave the "Gunners" without any transfer fee. The fact that these players have not yet signed new contracts only shows how poorly some parts of this team function, and Goal journalist Chris Wheatley tried to explain how the current situation arose.
Both of these footballers, along with Santi Cazorla, are valued as the most technically skilled players in this team. They have broken goal and assist records many times on the field, and off the field, they have secured millions through their merchandise and commercial deals. However, the favorite status of A. Sanchez and M. Ozil among fans has suffered lately, due to the inability to extend contracts with them.
Last summer it was obvious that Alexis wanted to leave the club and move to "Manchester City," but with Arsenal failing to acquire Thomas Lemar, the Chilean had to stay in the team. Meanwhile, M. Ozil was not looking for a new career stop, and recently, after a break due to uncertainty in the team regarding Arsene Wenger's future, he returned to negotiations for a new contract.
It is worth noting that not only M. Ozil or A. Sanchez did not extend their contracts with the team. Jack Wilshere's contract with the club also expires next summer, and there are currently no news about the future of this player. Meanwhile, in 2019, contracts with Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck, Nacho Monreal, and Petr Cech will expire. Although these players are not considered as high-caliber players as the team's star duo, extending contracts with role players in the team would help the team avoid more future problems and headaches.
In today's times it is easiest to blame the players and their representatives for not extending contracts, demanding impressive salaries inflated by the football market. But why did the "Arsenal" club end up in such an unpleasant situation trying to extend contracts not only with their stars but also with other players?
There are certainly several reasons why the North London team cannot persuade their players to sign long-term contracts.
With the same situation that arose with A. Sanchez, they had to face it more than once. The 28-year-old footballer made it clear to the team's leadership, with his representative Fernando Felicevich, that this summer he wants to move to the "Manchester City" club. The possible transfer of the footballer to "City" was talked about all summer, and the "citizens" took serious steps offering to buy the Chilean until the end of the transfer window. Moreover, it is said that Pep Guardiola himself convinced A. Sanchez to join his team with a phone call. True, the coach denies it, but it is not surprising, as admitting personally and improperly attracting a player with a contract with a rival club would be extremely foolish.
When a footballer negotiates with one team, it is not surprising that he also looks at other possibilities and teams that would want his services. "City's" desire to acquire A. Sanchez was known since last season, and it played an important role in his negotiations with "Arsenal." At the end of the season, the player did not hide that he wanted to play in the Champions League and eventually decided to leave the club for the opportunity to compete in the most prestigious European tournament. As throughout his career, the player made the decision not based on finances or the opportunity to earn a higher salary - the player decided not to extend the contract solely for the desire to play at the highest level tournament.
On the other hand, the situation with M. Ozil was completely different. Although several famous European clubs were interested in the German, no offers for this player were received. M. Ozil recently bought a house in London, and negotiations for his new contract last year were interrupted because at the end of the previous season, A. Wenger was not sure whether he would stay in London or move to the "Paris Saint-Germain" club. The Frenchman played a key role in attracting the forward to the "Arsenal" from Real Madrid, and the German national team player would likely have left the team with the coach if he had decided to part ways with the club.
Negotiations between M. Ozil and "Arsenal" were renewed at the beginning of this season, but it was said that the negotiations were managed by Dick Law, who helped arrange the player's transfer in 2013. It is said that the player's representatives were directly in contact with the executive director and Joshua Kroenke, who controls most of the shares in the team, hoping to speed up the negotiations, but they failed to quickly reach an agreement with the player.
Moreover, now the team can no longer rely on D. Law, whose contract with the team, ironically, has also expired and he has left the team. Negotiator duties are now assigned to former "Team Sky" legal affairs expert Huss Fahmy, who recently started working by signing a new contract with young Joe Willock.
According to Goal sources, the "Arsenal" management is concerned about the financial details of new contracts with M. Ozil and A. Sanchez. In the Premier League this season, short-term expenditure control rules were introduced, after which it was said that the "Gunners" could only spend seven million pounds more on salaries this season than in the previous season. Although this could partly explain why the club is not willing to make large offers to their stars, it raises questions as to why the players' contracts were not offered before the season, when these new rules were not yet in effect.
Despite some praising "Arsenal" for sticking to their principles, the team is falling further behind its closest rivals. The team should be most concerned that their closest rivals, "Tottenham Hotspur," do not have similar problems. Both the team's coach, Mauricio Pochettino, and the team's stars, Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane, have signed new long-term contracts with their team over the past few years. Moreover, it is almost certain that their example will be followed by Dele Alli and other team representatives.
The outdated management model of the "Arsenal" team and the unwillingness to offer huge contracts to players dictated by the current football market no longer allow the club to compete for the most important titles. It is clear that changes are needed within the team to prevent the club from ever again finding themselves in such an absurd situation, where the two biggest team stars can leave for next to nothing. Now all that remains for the team's fans is to hope that the London team management will make the right decisions in time and climb out of the hole they dug themselves into.
