Mesut Özil has agreed a new three-year contract at Arsenal. The midfielder will put months of uncertainty behind him by signing the deal in the coming days. It will make him the club’s highest paid player on £350,000-a-week (€400,000) and represents a massive statement of intent from both him and them.
Arsenal are also close to securing Jack Wilshere to a new contract, which would bring to an end another saga. Like Özil, Wilshere's current deal is set to expire in the summer and he has been in protracted negotiations over a new one. Resolution is now in sight.
Özil has been free to discuss terms with foreign clubs this month while he stood to become an attractive Bosman signing in the summer, after showcasing his talents at the World Cup finals with Germany.
But Arsenal have pushed hard to convince the 29-year-old that he can fulfil his ambitions with them – and they have done so, in part, through some of their January transfer business.
Although it was a blow to lose Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United, Özil has been excited by the arrivals of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund and Henrikh Mkhitaryan from United.
Arsenal say that Ozil has not yet signed the new deal but there is an expectation on their side that an announcement is not too far away.
Arsène Wenger had said earlier in the month that he was more confident than ever that Özil would re-sign and the manager’s comments are poised to be vindicated.
Özil has built his reputation as the silkiest of playmakers, when he is on his game and, since he made his debut for Schalke in August 2006, Opta says that he is the only player to have created more than 1,000 goalscoring chances within the big five European leagues.
Özil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid for a then club record £42.5 million in 2013 and he has won the FA Cup three times with them. – Guardian service
