3 reasons why Mesut Ozil is staying at Arsenal this summer

Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil.

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil was rumoured to be leaving the club this summer as a result of him stalling on contract talks – with his deal up next summer. Fenerbahce in Turkey were linked.

But with transfer talk cooling in recent weeks and the reality of a large financial outlay likely to put off potential suitors, the German midfielder now looks likely to stay at the Emirates.

And here are three reasons why…

Large asking price and lofty wage demands

Ozil cost Arsenal £42m in 2013 and is reported to be on a salary worth around £8m-a-year. The Gunners are keen to keep the German international at the club but won’t want to sell him for a cut-price. As a result, suitors will have to stump up close to £40m if they want to prize the playmaker from Arsenal. And coupled with the midfielder’s £160k-a-week wages, Ozil would be an expensive acquisition.

There are few club in the world who can afford the German as a result, and even fewer clubs Ozil would want to leave Arsenal for. Despite his contract being up in 12 months, Arsenal aren’t panicking over Ozil’s future as they will be confident no genuine suitor will turn his head this summer. The Gunners might even consider a £40m bid in the coming weeks if they can’t tie the midfielder to a long-term deal.

Inconsistent form

But for that price, Ozil presents a gamble to any interested club given his inconsistency. Last season, he scored and created an impressive 17 goals in 33 Premier League appearances, but went droughts throughout. He scored just two goals before mid-October, while failing to score entirely in 12 games between December and April.

Supporters have been used to seeing his form go through peaks and troughs in an Arsenal shirt, and it’s likely clubs who were interested in signing him have seen it too. Ozil has registered decent totals as a Gunners but he’s rarely at his best for long and is unreliable when it matters. He’s also drawn criticism for a poor attitude.

Questions over his work rate

Jose Mourinho once called out Mesut Ozil in the changing room when the pair were at Real Madrid, citing his perceived lack of effort on the pitch and inability to get involved in the defensive side of the game. And such claims about Ozil have been mentioned during his time at Arsenal.

The Gunners’ assistant manager Steve Bould was believed to have had a falling out with Ozil over a lack of work-rate, according to a celebrity fan. Manager Arsene Wenger has defended the player, while Ozil has long defended himself. But if clubs don’t consider him to be worth £40m, Ozil’s claims will fall on deaf ears and he’ll be stuck at Arsenal for another season.

Mesut Ozil is 1/7 to stay at Arsenal this summer.