The Arsenal transfer rumours about Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil were rife in the summer and continued right up until the last day of the transfer window. They are still continuing as we approach the January window, and the fans certainly think that the two so-called superstars are not playing their best for the club since not being given a massive pay rise, or in Alexis’ case, not being allowed to join Pep Guardiola at Man City.
The difference between the summer and now is the fact that many fans now want to get rid of them as soon as possible, especially as Sanchez has only scored one goal since the failed transfer, and Ozil seems to be disinterested on the pitch. The Arsenal legend Lee Dixon thinks it is obvious that they want out and he thinks their team-mates must feel the same way. Dixon said: “Agents and players manipulate situations – and clubs do, in order to get the best deal for the parties concerned – but in general, if you don’t want to go there, and you don’t want to stay, then you will be ousted from the environment and dressing room pretty quickly.
“Players work out whether you want to be there or not, and certainly fans do when they see your performances on the pitch.”
So what does he think should happen in this situation? “We’d have just shown them the door,” he added. “If you don’t want to play, then go. That’s not changed.
“If a player doesn’t want to play for you: it happened with Michael Thomas 18 months after he scored [the title-winning goal against Liverpool] in ’89, he was in dispute with the club or George about money. He ended up going in similar circumstances and signing with Liverpool.”
As for Ozil, Dixon was even more cutting! “At the moment Arsenal’s levels are a bit off, they aren’t working hard enough,” he said.
“Ozil’s a perfect example, how talented is he? But there are times when I look at him and think ‘I’d drive him to the airport right now’ because his application to his job for the team is so far below what it should be.
“Unless he steps up it doesn’t matter what the rest are doing, you’re still carrying him.”
So do you think that their continuing presence is causing unrest in the dressing room? Should we just let them go in January at whatever price we can get?
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I agree with what Dixon said they’re not doing enough! They’re demanding 300+K a week – they shouldn’t have to be carried!!
I think I’d be fed up with their attitude on & off the pitch. So yes if some offers come in in January then they should seriously be considered…. because I for one am not sure I can stomach another 4 months of this!!
arsenal players had enough of ozil n alexis! that made me laugh.looooooool
we have many ppl who r yet to become player. chambers,holding,walcot(just sad),wilshire. u mean these players?
Let them go in Jan!! even if its for £25million pounds each. They don’t deserve Arsenal any more and well I blame the manager and board.
Letting them go won’t make us any worse than we are already, even with them we’ve been struggling to stay in top 4 so just chase them out.
Then we give our all in the Europa as its our best shot back at UCL.
Into other news, I read Bayern are considering Signing Draxler as Ribery’s replacement this coming summer.
If that’s true then we can kiss him goodbye and applaud Wenger and his genius plans.
We’ll need a new coach who bring in total new sets of players and chase the deadwoods out before we’ll ever regain our spot in the elite teams
They both should have gone from the summer. Wenger should have sat them down. Given them our bottom line and said take it or leave it. We could have then cashed in and got better players or players who atleast want to be at the club. Its so obvious. At this moment in time I woukd have them both playing europa. 1 to say f you 2. To see how we would do in the near future without them. They would either sulk as they are now or start to plau football. Wenger and the board have lost the plot.
I disagree with playing them in our Europa games. Thats our BEST chance of playing Champions league next season and I wouldn’t want them ruining it. We want to stick with Lacazette for the long term so we should surround him with French for good chemistry and team Spirit. Lets sell them both for whatever in January and spend 150m on both Fekir and Antoine Griezman. Wenger should coin it as a French Revolution and they will definitely buy into it. Lacazette have extremely fantastic relationship with them. Buy Leon Gorestka and Kepa for another 50m – all in January and we won’t need to but ANY player in the summer. Instead of being a fool and be condemning the January transfer window, Wenger should delve into it and get all the players he wants in now and use the rest of the season to prepare for a major onslaught on the league and champions league next season, by which time they would have jelled and he can leave Arsenal on a high. Its a 200m Pounds project that will guarantee us Champions League Soccer next season and the ability to compete on the highest stage next season. It will make us not needing to buy any player in the next few seasons except we sell any of our stars for a ridiculous amount of money. And at which time the likes of Nelson, Nketiah, Willock, AMN, will be ready to take over. This is no rocket science and its such a disappointment people at the helm can’t see that this would be the way to go both to salvage our season and to make us start competing against the big teams. THIS is what will give us our ARSENAL back for a long time to come.
We are heading for 6th place. Tottenham, chelsea,city and united are all stronger. Liverpool is on our level but they have a good manager and the right backing. 6th wooo
Mancity are on their own level at the minute, and the only one that can stop them is themselves. Then there’s UTD Chelsea and Tott, with us and Liv on Tott coattails. So it could easily be Tott and Liv being down at our level, or else tott can kick us in the teeth and try to run away.
I like Dixon and Id take on board what he has to say. One of those great fullbacks who knew how to organize and knew when to listen. He’s Arsenals greatest ever fullback, massively underrated. It’s not long the penny dropping for him. He has a point, they don’t look to me to be trying to put themselves in the shop window. It’s like they’re saying that the work is already done and now I just need to stay fit.
Keeping players when they want to go and have only a short time on their contract was never going to end well for us. They should have been sold when they had some value.
Ferguson used to aim to get them to sign a new deal with still 2 years on their contract. If they did not sign he would transfer list them. He did that with Rooney who then signed within a few days. Why can’t we do that?
Because Wenger is not sure he can attract a player of Ozil and Sanchez caliber, as shitty as they are, in his career again. Those guys don’t have any iota of respect for him anymore. They envy other teams as they admire their managers. They can see through Wenger’s technical ineptness and senility. No other coach in the world will bench lacazette for city’s game. Its akin to Chelsea benching a fit Morata for the game against united. Its very inexcusable. serious minded board and owners should have FIRED HIM without thinking. Which manager thats worth his salt will play Coquelin at CB against Leeds United not to talk of MANCHESTER CITY!? What errant nonsense.? Which manager with his head screwed on will play Elneny at CB? Nelson at RWB because you want him to develop the defensive side of his game? Why was Ousmane Dembele,Kylian Mbappe, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Wilfred Zaha, Thomas Lemar, Anthony Martial, Sancho Jadon and others of his ilk, at his age, not played in the Wing Back for them to horn the defensive side of their game? Wenger is DONE and he and the Arsenal Board and Owners are the ONLY ONES who don’t know this. He cant cope anymore with the demands of the modern game. Its painful that my 8 year old boy that I brought up the Arsenal way, sent to the training school every summer, invested in a box at the emirates for 7 years for looked at me in the eye and said daddy ‘Im joining Tottenham’ I nearly cried but cant fault him. Wenger needs to return our club and GO.
Wenger’s crazy theory, that it is the perfect situation, to have them playing in their last year of contract, has backfired big time. But he continues to play them, as it would be admitting his mistake not to. And of course it hampers team morale in general, when the rest see 2 “stars” giving 75%, selected before players, who are willing to give more.
When all is said and done, we’re all still talking about the failings and deficiencies within the Club and squad. So many experienced ex-footballers are saying the same thing about the same issues we’ve all been talking about for god knows how many years.
It feels like we’re painting the same picture over and again.. (Same s**t , different toilet)
Everywhere you look at Arsenal there are issues and yet nothing is being done to solve it. Why?
In fact, it’s only getting worse under a board that is ageing and comfortable and, a manager that has his boots so far under the table the canteen staff could clean his shoes from the kitchen!!
The less said about Kronke the better!
I would sell half this team in January if I had a chance. It’s not just one or two who look uninterested or unhappy. Iv’e seen snails put in more energy than half this lot!!!
Pep and Jose probably told them not to work too hard this season because City and United need them healthy for next season.
I actually think it was sensible for Mourinho to go after Ozil because he is free transfer and Ozil is so lazy that he probably won’t mind warming the bench, which will make him more hungry.
As for Alexis, City don’t really need him but he is 100% leaving
So if we can offload them in January for some money or played and get Lemar or Draxler or Mahrez which is unlikely then that would be best as they are off in summer anyway
Yeah, because Lemar, Draxler or Mahrez are desperate to join a circus act!!?
I it’s wenger that need to go bcoz any coach that av d ambition of winning a major trophy will not think like Asne wenger
Well for once I will side with the players in question.both are world class, their stats for club n country will justify. The club as let these players down by surrounding them with mediocre players, outdated managerial tactics, experimentation, repetition, etc..playing them out of position. The manager who benefited from the original back 5 inherited from GG era n added steel in the invincible midfield as himself regressed in management. Can’t simply rebuild n plug holes even after a decade shows how far the club as regressed. After all the new stadium was a promise to dominate not EPL but even the European football. My 2 cents..
Nketiah should be givien a chance in the first team, An 18 year walcott was playing first team games and Nketiah has way more potential!!!