Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are arguably the best players at Arsenal but come the end of the season, both these superstars will have only a year remaining on their contracts. Not the idlest situation Wenger would like to have. Therefore the club are working hard to extend their contracts. One stumbling block is that both players are after £250,000 a week. That would put them on par with other Premier League superstars such as Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba.
Both are said to be earning around £140,000 a week right now which means both are looking to almost double their wage packages. Perhaps both superstars deserve that raise but it is suggested that Arsenal will play hardball with them and look to settle for something closer to £200,000. But when you see what both players bring to the club, one would think the club would be ready to shell out extra money for world class players.
In recent years, many top players have left Arsenal in search of greener pastures. Whether these green pastures refers to better pay packages or better chances of winning trophies, only they will know. One fears the same would happen with Alexis and Ozil. But given the increased competitive edge that Arsenal are showing lately, those fears can be put to bed, at least for the time being. It is obvious that they are seeking better monetary recognition. Both have been at the club for some time and stamped their authority on the squad. Everyone is always looking for them on the pitch and they seldom fail to impress.
One thing the club has gotten right this summer is their transfer dealings. Heavy investments were made to bring in the likes of Granit Xhaka, Shkrodan Mustafi and Lucas Perez and this would’ve certainly gone down well with Ozil and Sanchez, who will soon be looking to win some major silverware. Both have only been part of the FA cup successes in the recent years. Both players are hungry as ever and will want to achieve more this season.
Whether they deserve the pay rise
Legendary Arsenal player Perry Groves has stated his desire to see both the stars staying put at the club. He is of the opinion that this is an ever improving team and both the superstars will well and truly be aware of this fact. They should look to stay and build a better team that can be considered as genuine title contenders, season after season. He also stated that Arsenal can afford to pay the superstars the money they are demanding, but they shouldn’t be held ransom as they have always run the club in a certain manner, with the Arsenal wage structure being quite different to that of the bigger clubs in England.
Sanchez and Ozil have been good this season. But have they been better than the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott? These players have also had an equal impact, if not more important say in how our season has panned out so far. Does that mean they should all land contracts worth the ones Ozil and Sanchez are chasing?
No chance. Arsenal is a club that has been built on principles and the club should look to uphold those principles.
In all fairness, the contract mess should’ve been sorted out in the summer, when it’s usually done.
Both players should’ve bagged their new contracts, but it has taken some time. With negotiations still and truly well on the table, Arsenal fans can only hope that it is sorted out at the soonest. That will allow both the players to lay their focus on the pitch and put in scintillating performances that both are truly capable of.