Will Mesut Ozil leave or stay at Arsenal in January?

Add as preferred source on Google

It has been one of the biggest talking points of the Premier League season so far – will Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez leave Arsenal at the end of their current contracts in the summer?

Speculation about Sanchez’s future seems to grow with each passing week, with the latest rumour being that a dressing room fall out has pushed the Chilean winger closer to the exit door.

Sanchez scored last week against Crystal Palace to give his side a 2-1 lead, although only a handful of Arsenal players decided to celebrate. At the time, Arsenal legend and Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry suggested that this showed a ‘divided dressing room’ at the club.

With the serious injury suffered to Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus, and Pep Guardiola’s reported keen interest in the Arsenal man, Sanchez’s move to City is closer than it has ever been, as write the Independent.

There is much less certainty over the future of Ozil, with Manchester United and Barcelona reportedly interested in his signature.

United are in desperate need of a creative force in midfield, with only Paul Pogba currently impressing in that role. Add to this the fact that Ozil worked with current United manager Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, where he won the La Liga title in 2012.

However, unlike Sanchez, whose form has dipped slightly this season, Ozil has had one of his best seasons yet at the Emirates. Although there is reported interest from the Red Devils, there is no clear indication that the German playmaker wants to leave London and move up north.

Wenger stated on Tuesday morning that contract talks have not progressed with Sanchez, Ozil or Jack Wilshere, who is also out of contract in the summer – news which will worry Arsenal fans.

Barcelona want Ozil if those talks do not conclude with a contract extension, but there are question marks as to whether the German would break into a team that contains the likes of Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic.

With the World Cup coming up in June, Germany are well stacked in attacking midfield areas and Ozil will surely have to be at his best and playing regularly to ensure he makes it into Joachim Löwe’s starting XI.

Ozil will be guaranteed a starting spot at the Emirates as one of their key players, which may persuade him to stay and sign a new deal.

There is, of course, the possibility that he could leave on a free in the summer. Therefore ensuring that he both makes it into the World Cup squad and can leave the Emirates, but you get the impression that Wenger will only entertain the idea of either selling or extending the contracts of his two star players, instead of letting their current deals expire.

Overall, you would expect the Ozil saga to drag on a lot longer than the Sanchez situation. Whilst it is looking likely that the German is close to leaving Arsenal, a move away from the Emirates is not yet cut and dry.