A discussion on the mercenary aspects of both Ozil and Alexis

AN INSIGHT INTO TWO PLAYERS, THEIR TIME TOGETHER AT OUR CLUB, THEIR ABSURD CONTRACTS AND HOW THEIR CAREERS HAVE DIFFERED SINCE THE BREAKUP OF THEIR SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP. by Ken1945

My objective and what I hope to achieve in this article, is to use facts in order to point out how any one decision can have repercussions and reactions from fans and for clubs, both before and after they are taken.

I will also give a few of my own personal opinions based on how I interpret these facts and invite those who read it to give theirs…it is a long read, so please be patient, as facts need to be correct and opinions really do matter.

Surprise, surprise, I am not criticising either player, or any fans, but most certainly both clubs involved and a certain Ivan Gazidis in particular!!!

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We have had a deluge of stories about Mesut Ozil and his situation at our club, but recently the question was asked about Alexis Sanchez with regards to a “mercenary comparison.”

It intrigued me and got me thinking about how the two players, not only viewed each other, but how moving away from our club, for whatever the reason, is nearly always the wrong move, and why players who have stayed loyal to the club, such as Tony Adams, Pat Rice, Dennis Bergkamp, Bob Wilson etc have ended up as names that all Gooners know and respect (Please note: I am definitely not saying that either of the two in this article deserve such accolades of course!!).

So, let us start by looking at what Sanchez said about Ozil and how he felt he benefited from him.

In an interview dated December 2016 (Source: The Arsenal’s YouTube channel) he was recorded as saying that he felt very comfortable playing with his team mate and also urged him not to worry about scoring – adding “He has great vision and there’s no need to praise his great ball control, because everyone knows about it. Ozil is a quality player he really enjoys playing football.”

Sanchez then went on to say how he felt about our club as follows “I definitely feel like an important player and my team mates let me know every day… I believe we have the players and the quality to win many things. I feel really happy and comfortable at the club. I want to give the fans a new title.” ….

So from my perspective at the time, everything looked rosy in the garden with regards to Sanchez, Ozil and the future.

Sure enough the FA cup was delivered in spectacular fashion, as we defeated Chelsea (the champions) in a masterful display of team work that they had no answer too, with goals from Sanchez and Ramsey (Probably Arsene’s last ever masterclass and that was when he should have resigned… I digress!!)

Just seven months later, after this glowing resume, on the 22nd January 2018, Sanchez signed for Manchester United, after refusing to sign a new contract and with only six months left on his present contract, with a reported salary breakdown as follows from Utd: £391,000 a week – £75,000 for every game he played – An annual £1.1 million signing on fee – this deal was over four and a half years, up to the end of the 2021/2022 season.
However, he ended up playing just 45 games for them, scoring just five goals.

Such was his (supposed?) respect for our club, he actually said this, when talking about his first day of training: “I ended up signing without much information about what was happening (I bet you knew how much you was going to earn though Alexis!!!!) and I asked my representative “Can’t the contract be terminated to return to Arsenal?!!?!” (Source: Talksport).

Now my suspicious mind asks me why, if he left for trophies, why would he want to return to the club he thought he wouldn’t win any with? That was the reason he gave I do believe.

It was also revealed that Sanchez had turned down a £400,000 a week move to China, while accepting the deal above – ensuring that this player, at least would decide where he wanted to go and not the club or the fans!! (Source: Sun Dec 17th).

MEANWHILE and before Sanchez left, Arsene Wenger was admitting that he might be forced to sell both Sanchez and Ozil, as there was no sign of a breakthrough in the discussions regarding new contracts for both players.
He said “both players look happy here and overall I hope the situation can be turned around. At the moment, we are not close enough to announcing anything.”

But the wonderful and ever truthful Ivan Gazidis told our AGM that money was no object with regards to Sanchez and Ozil’s contract (Source The Sun 24th Oct 2016).

So, from my point of view, both players were happy at the club, the money was there to keep them and, once again, everything was rosy in the garden!!!

So, what was happening with regards to Mesut Ozil during the time that I detailed out with Sanchez at the Arsenal? It was reported by The Guardian on the 12th July 2017 as follows:

It was revealed that Ozil’s preference would be to definitely sign a new contract at The Arsenal, saying “It is such a great club and I have always said that I feel very good at Arsenal.”

This statement was, of course, long before his absurd contract was offered and, meanwhile, Ozil also commented on Sanchez, the player and, also, his contract situation, when asked, by saying: “It would hit the team quite hard if he left, because he’s a player who always delivers. It would be a setback to winning the title but, in the end, it is the players decision. I hope Alexis stays, but I do not know what the status is to be honest. I value him a lot as a player and he is very well suited to the game Arsenal play. From a personal view, I would really appreciate if he stays. But it’s the players decision after all and there’s not much more I can comment on that.”

On January 31st, just nine days after Sanchez refused to sign a new contract and left for one of our PL rivals for a reported £500,000 a week pay deal, Ozil also accepted a massive reported deal worth £350,000 a week to stay at our club – the details of any clauses in Ozil’s contract were not known, whereas part of the reported Sanchez deal included that £75,000 a game…it has since been reported that Ozil has a similar clause for each game played, but details are sketchy to say the least.

Here are some of the reactions from the fans just before the announcement of Ozil’s signature as printed in the Sun, with the headlines that read: “It’s a wet afternoon in north London, so let us brighten up your Sunday.”…convincing some Arsenal fans that Ozil had signed a new deal:
AFCinNYC: For the love of God, sign your contract.
Quicksilver: Brighten up our life with an Ozil contract extension news.
Sals: Oh my God contract announcement soon.
CechMate: Ozil extension news is coming!!!!
Mike Needham: You’d better be telling us Mesut Ozil1088 has signed a new contract!!!!!!!
Geyzen: This thread is really evil if you don’t announce MO contract extension.
Ryan: Oh my God! OK, it’s really happening!
NB. These are just a sprinkling of the many positive reactions when the news was breaking!!
I couldn’t find any negatives from the source I was using – I’m sure there are some.

The reactions of our fans when Sanchez left for Utd?
NicoFC: D****ead go watch Marley and Me (I have no idea!! But he wasn’t happy!!)
Light Yagami: Good morning, except AlexiSanchez and his dogs.
NB. These are just a sprinkling of the many negative reactions!!
There were also some posts wishing him well, but they were in the minority overall.

The reactions of our fans when Sanchez said he regretted leaving The Arsenal?
Playboy clarti: Realized there was no one close to Ozil’s level at United, hence the regret.
Sxlibol: He was so good at Arsenal… what could have been man, but he had to ruin his career.
GunnerGirlTV: …So many good players left Arsenal for money or titles and then realised how those teams just used them and tossed them.
Raf: …I honestly couldn’t care less he left us. His legs had started to go. Never the same player since his City move failed. Plus, we got one of the best goal scorers to replace him.
Frenchy: …but that’s his mistake and he’s another one that chose money over loyalty.

NB. These are just a sprinkling of the many negative reactions!!
There was not one that sympathised with him and I did look!!

So, it seems that there were fans who were pleased to see Mesut Ozil sign his new contract, despite the grotesque salary awarded to him by Gazidis – there were fans who were less than pleased when Alexis Sanchez signed for Utd, only six months after he said how happy he was at our club and with an even more grotesque salary – there were fans who were delighted that he had failed in such a spectacular fashion at Utd and were quoting “money over loyalty” in their Instagram replies (Source: www.newsbreak.com).

In summary fellow Gooners, I have not addressed the current situation regarding Mesut Ozil, as I think that has been discussed infinitum – neither have I discussed my personal views on either players worth, both to our club and their salaries – nor am I saying one player is/was better than the other, although it must be obvious that they both had a wonderful partnership while playing for The Arsenal in my opinion – neither have I made this a plus or minus article regarding the merits or otherwise of either player – neither have I commented on whether Ozil is right or wrong to insist he will see his legal contract through to the end.

I’ve presented the facts, as they were reported (with the sources for anyone who wishes to check their legality) at the time and how the timeline evolved up and until the 31st January 2018 when Mesut Ozil signed his contract extension, the 5th August 2020 when Sanchez left Utd and relevant points in between those dates. We often forget exactly what did happen at certain times and what the reactions were to those incidents, so please remember I am doing this for clarity of the situation at the given timeline.

I have always said how the fan base were imploring the club to sign Mesut Ozil “at any cost”, in order to prove we were a big club, especially after Sanchez left us. It seems some fans have forgotten that scenario. It has happened again with Aubameyang and I wonder if memories will become “foggy” if things don’t turn out as we all hope they do, over the next three years

I have quite simply looked at a question that was asked regarding which of the two players would be described as a mercenary and taken it further with regards to the relevance during their respective time at The Arsenal, in order that it includes when they played together, what they said about our club and their reactions after those statements of intent, how they viewed each other and how one player finally left and the other stayed.

We are all aware of the differences of opinions regarding Mesut Ozil today and where he and Sanchez are in regards to their own situation – one is playing and one is not… BUT that is not what I am writing about, so please just take that into consideration and ask yourselves these questions – On the evidence given above, who would you say treated the club with contempt and acted in a mercenary way? – Has either player actually benefitted from the actions they took, apart from the obvious monetary rewards, as both men were fortunate enough to be given salaries that make a mockery of both clubs that offered it? (If you want to include it, then feel free of course.) Would things had been different if Gazidis had followed through his boast that money was no object, remembering that he had, reportedly, offered Aaron Ramsey the equivalent of Mesut Ozil’s contract and actually tied Alexis Sanchez down for the same contract terms as Mesut Ozil?

I would actually suggest that Ivan Gazidis is probably the biggest mercenary this club has ever seen…and I include Stanley Kroenke in that evaluation!!!

Definition of a mercenary as per The Collins Concise Dictionary?

“Any person who works solely for pay – Influenced by greed or desire for gain” – Shows no loyalty where money is concerned (this one is my personal definition, so ignore it if you wish!)

Thanks for reading the article and persevering with it – if you did!!!

ken1945.

Tags Alexis Ozil

51 Comments

  1. Typical favouritism. and agenda jumping off the page from Ken1945!

    In this extremely long article, apparently factual based, looking at these two players, including who was to blame for the debacle, Wenger’s name only gets mentioned once? Zero blame attached to his name as well?

    So according to Ken1945, Wenger had NO power, and played NO role in both these players contracts running down, and Sanchez wanting to leave. It was all Ivan, and Kroenke apparently! I guess Wenger was just a “yes man”, or some kind of puppet maybe?

    Ken1945, and I do not get on, but this isn’t just a blind attack, I am simply calling him out on this -Wenger was powerless narrative.

    All three were culpable, but specifically, Wenger and Gazidis.

    1. TMJW, first of all, the topic was about the two players that YOU discussed earlier.
      Secondly, the article IS based on facts, you just need to use the links I gave to check them.
      Thirdly, wasn’t it gazidis who announced that he was in charge of all contract negotiations in January of 2018? If I remember correctly. it was the day “we got our Arsenal back”, at least by some fans – that is also why I have never credited AW with the signing of Aubameyang, as that came under the time of Gazidis. It was gazidis who announced at the AGM, that money was no object, simply because he had control of it I would assume.
      Also, I did say AW should have left after the FA cup final win – but if this point regarding AW and the length of the article are the two major issues for you, then so be it.
      Check the facts and AW was also at fault – there we go, we agree!!
      As for getting on with you, we have different points of view and, as I have never met you it seems a totally irrelevant point – aren’t we both passionate Gooners?

      1. I loved your carefully picked out fan quotes about Sanchez and Ozil. Very balanced view, no propaganda whatsoever. Bit like CNN going onto the streets to interview “random” voters on their thoughts of Trump, and Biden, and only getting positives quotes about Biden haha!

        Face facts Ken, you’ll never be able to tell the truth about Wenger, because you’re so blinkered when it comes to him. Comment after comment, article after article, I don’t think I have ever seen you tell the facts how they really are in regards to him. You cherry pick his successes, and make excuses for his failures. S

        So if Wenger is never responsible for anything going wrong at Arsenal, how could he ever be responsible for anything going right?

        1. OH!!! So now it’s the quotes that you find are offensive?!
          Tell you what TMJW, why not go on to the internet, find the quotes you say exist, put themin an article, along with a source reference and we can discuss them – easy peasy!!

          Then you refer to my articles as being all about Arsene Wenger…well this one isn’t, at least not until you made it so.
          I have written numerous articles, ranging from ex players, men and women who have a history at our club, the actual history of our club, referees, pundits, memorabilia, personal memories etc etc etc – so please don’t tell me about repetitive articles TMJW…I won’t ask you the subjects of your regular articles though, simply because of this:
          Anyone who puts the tim e and effort into sitting down expressing their views and checking facts, are doing it because of their commitment to The Arsena and how they see it themselves.
          If you had taken the time toactually think about why I wrote this article in the first place, you would have realized that it was because of your effort in the first place – but no, that obviously never crossed your mind.

          By the way, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you say how much you were enjoying my articles on our history?

          Let it go TMJW, I haven’t got the inclination to keep reminding you of what has gone on before – that’s probably why you find this article so annoying, as all the facts/quotes did actually happen, they don’t suit your argument and you must have just forgotten them.

          Finally, Arsene Wenger made some awful errors, he should have resigned a season before he did, he brought some real dud players, he lost the plot at the end and I’m looking forward to Mikel Arteta having the same kind of success as Arsene Wenger did – can’t wait for June, when Ozil departs, so that we can move on – gazidis is the worst person to ever have been at our club in the 60 odd years I have supported them – kronkie needs to sell up and I look forward to your next article..subject being those different on line quotes perhaps??

    2. He did not say Wenger was powerless and had no say buy he is right out club was in not so strong financially and we could only offer bug money contract to one of them. There was no way we could match what Man United offered to Alexis even if we did not give new contract to ozil. If Wenger was all powerfull as some fans assume then how can he be forced out if the club completely instead of just moving upstairs. ThirdMan! You are just another fan who seems to blind when it comes to ppl you support like MA…he has no power or say but is not dictated by the club hierarchy.

      1. Mohsan, it was implied, given how little Wenger was mentioned, and no blame put upon him whatsoever. It wasn’t as if Ken forgot, or skirted over the issue of blame, because he mentioned Kroenke and Ivan in relation to blame. So the narrative is clear as day!

        1. I believe I mentioned kronkie once, Wenger twice and gazidis five times.

          Surely, as gazidis was in charge of the contracts by then, he would have featured more?

          As you say, clear as day.

          1. Just checked your original article TMJW – you mentioned AW three times, gazidis once and kronkie never….just so that everyone can see what exactly YOU were implying!!!LOL

            1. Well Wenger and Ivan get mentioned more because as we factually know, they were in charge of day-to-day operations. Wenger gets mentioned the most because he was also 100% responsible for what we saw on the pitch.

              Ozil had been at Arsenal since 2013, and Alexis since 2014, so Wenger WAS heavily involved in how their two futures unfolded. It was only near the end of Wenger’s reign, where power was FINALLY taken away from him.

              Like I say Ken, facts are facts!

              1. But the point is TMJW, your article was about two players and which one was the more mercenary, wasn’t it?
                Nothing to do with AW and that’s how I addressed my follow on article.
                It was you who brought him up my friend, as you usually do.

    3. What about the fans who now play the victims’ card?

      That was a good (longish) article that took us down the memory lane of what actually transpired.

      Thank you Ken, though it’s clear who you favored of the individuals in question despite trying so hard to show you’re neutral. No dispute on individuals’ opinions, but truth and facts are what they are.

      1. If we leave the great Arsene out of it, which I am sure was it wasn’t the writer intention or subject, and I am sure you are aware of that, what are your thoughts about the article’s intended message?

    4. TMJW, In culpability order of blame for that OZIL contract. 1 GAZIDIS, 2 WENGER, 3 KROENKE. So all are culpable imo!

      But I excuse KENS reluctance to ever blame AW, as there is no doubt AW is and was a great PERSON and, unlike the other two snakes,is an honourable man , even though his managerial mistakes in that final decade were very many and very costly.

      1. I just don’t get it. So why blame Kroenke in all this? We keep calling him our for not being a football man. But weren’t the majority of our fans the ones calling for him to give Ozil whatever he wanted going back as far as 2016?
        He gave into the fans over emotional outbursts in 2017/18, now the same fans are blaming him for it.

        He let the football people deal with signings.
        But all they seem to have done is waste it on average overrated player like;
        Pepe £70 million.
        Laca £50 million.
        Ozil £40 million.
        Mustafi £35 million.
        Xhaka £30 million etc..

        Didn’t Kroenke even let wenger recommend and hire his own chief executive (Gazidis).

        Blame Kroenke for not providing funds, but let’s not go ahead and blame him for the likes of Gazidis, Wenger, Raul, sven mislintat, Arteta missing using the funds when provided to them.

        He has entrusted these so called football men and they have largely wasted the funds.

        1. It’s a bit early in the day to take a swipe at Arteta surely? I know Soares isn’t a whoopee signing and Willian has yet to get into his stride but Partey, Gabriel?
          In my mind Kroenke has to bear some of the blame for not having his finger on the pulse which lead to several costly mistakes

          1. Goonster (for the first time ever amd for most of what you say) and SueP I can agree with both of your comments – how about telling me who you think was the biggest mercenary at the time though?

            As you say Goonster, it was the majority…probably the VAST majority, just as they have been with Aubameyang – let’s keep remembering what actually happened…AND…you haven’t blamed Unai Emery, something else that should also be recognized.

            1. Sorry Ken I’m not sure I can answer or fully understand what you mean
              There is so much money swirling around in premier league football that I’d be amazed if everyone involved isn’t mercenary. The financial rewards are so immense and the opportunity to get stuck into the trough can’t be missed
              I have little time for agents who are making an absolute killing at the expense of their clients and the clubs. To ask who was the most mercenary-pertaining to your article I have to say I have no idea and as I chose not to specifically respond to it but have found the opinions of others enlightening. I can’t choose but what I have been struck by is how little respect you or JF have for Gazidis

            2. I even forgot about Emery. That is how irrelevant of a former manager is to me right now.

              And why should I blame Emery when we all know he was just a YES man? Isn’t it widely accepted that Emery was just a first team coach that had little to do with transfers?
              Or now the goalpost has changed on him? Were we assured that the likes of Sven, Raul etc were the directors of football that made all the decisions on transfers and Emery just had to get on with making the signing work? Weren’t we told that Emery preferred the likes of ZAHA and Nzonzi etc but the directors of football wanted PEPE and TORREIRA etc?
              If you want Emery in the blame everyone but Prince Ozil category as always then I don’t have a problem with it whatsoever.

              1. The thoughts you have regardng Unai are exactly the same as mine – others blame him for the awful signings (lichsteiner etc) and that was my point.

      2. Jon, I agree with your assesment as to who was to blame…but the fact that gazidis was in control by then of the contract negotiations I would say 70% 25% and 5%

      3. @jon fox

        Wenger did great things for Arsenal, but that doesn’t excuse the mistakes he made as well.

        It’s always important to call out Ken’s bias when it comes to Wenger, because less knowledgeable fans/casual onlookers, reading what he says, will form an opinion that Wenger was innocent in the club’s downfall. Ken should work in the mainstream media, because he has fantastic understanding of propaganda.

        1. I thank you for your endorsement of my work and opinions TMJW – I’m certain that fans such as Highbury Hero, who became a Gooner during the AW reign has enough savvy to go and check out the facts before making statements and not rely on you or me for our own biased thoughts.

  2. I have to say that I enjoyed @Ken1945 “long”article, impartial,based on facts and with no hidden agenda,keep up the good work Ken!

  3. Ozil could still go somewhere so we pay part of wages like Sanchez arrangement but this is a guy not interested in playing again. He’s retired so he prefers to sit down not playing and collecting wages weekly

    1. You land each one of us in his situation and I bet 99.99% ozil haters will do what he is doing. He never refuse to play and was regular in team before lock down. So how some of the fans deduct from this that he does not want to play and want to retire just collecting money is beyond me. It was the club decision to penalise him for not taking pay cut and not to play him, not his fault. Him not performing is another issue which I will not defend him for but saying he just does not want to play and just collect pay cheque is absurd assumption.

    2. If he goes to another club he will have to perform consistently in order to justify his wages and hype. And we know that Ozil and consistent Performances don’t go well together.

      But why not stay at Arsenal where you can play propaganda, refuse to put in the effort like your teammates but instead play the BIGGEST VICTIM CARD and SOCIAL MEDIA propaganda like we have grown to know.

      He is retired and just finding ways to deflect from his own shortcomings while he runs down the clock on his contract.

      It’s called throwing RED HERRINGS. Every now and then come up with a new irrelevant topic in order to distract from the actual issue of being a DEAD BEAT player that completely gave up the moment our incompetent board gave into his ridiculous £350,000 a week contract demands.

      All politicians do this. Watch Trump, he is a king at this sort of things.
      Lol

  4. Great Article Ken. Based on facts and proofs which were presented at the time not base on some absurd no factual theory.

  5. Thanks for this information about Ozil and the advice that Alexis gave him not to be scoring. They are both
    Mercenaries because all the are out for is money
    The clause on their Contracts of a certain amount of money per game in addition to the large salary is the main
    reason why Ozil is not playing maches. He must loose that money. Ozils situation should be made on one to the entire Arsenal family. Honestly his partnership with Alexis Sanchez gave birth to this obstinacy.
    Just of recent I think that there was an £8Million pay out from a club in crisis to a player who is loyal to the club!!!!!!
    Secondly he refused a salary cut which every other accepted. So what loyalty is he and some fans talking about? When the man is milking the club dry for doing nothing, his fans cannot symphatise with Arsenal at this time of crisis. If he thinks that he can continue being insurbodinate to the coach since his money is guaranteed, let him remain frozen.
    After all he has his contract!!!!!!

    1. Yeah dude, any one who leaves the club for trophies or progression, earn more money and honours the contract is a mercenary. While the club can show same behaviour but they have the right and it’s justified….typical Arsenal fans.

  6. That mercenary definition when football is concerned fits all professional players in the world. And in general life fits everyone who has a job.

    Fans will always make up facts to support their agendas for example the 7 horsemen & 1 who always claim the majority are against Mesut while the opposite is true.

  7. Look bro…its clear you are an ozil fan and I’m also an arsenal fan and an ozil fan but a lot of delusional ozil fans keep hiding away from the truth.nw i won’t go into details about hw ozil doesn’t deserve to be in this team coz it would definitely be too long to read.but with this whole talk about loyalty and mercenaries, let us not forget that ozil was offered a new contract of over 200k pounds and yet he refused to sign because obviously he and his Entourage knew that with the whole contact saga and arsenals desperation to keep him that the club will offer way more than that. Nw if ozil so loved arsenal(he keeps saying London), why didn’t he sign the new contract when it was offered to him long before he signed the 350k contract and yet he is one to talk about how loyal he has been to club.all ozil did was a job of a mercenary he just didn’t want the fans to see him as one

    1. Anonymous, as you know, Sanchez also said how much he loved the club – but are you aware of wht he did?
      After months of discussions, involving Dick Law,
      Sanchez and his agent an agreement was reached for a new contract reportedly between £270,000 and £300,000 a week.
      Dicl Law and his agent shook hands on the deal and Sanchez agreed over thephone to sign the deal.

      The documents were ready to be signed, when Sanchez pulled out of the deal for no apparent reason at the time, later to sign his reported £500,000 plus weekly deal.

      So that you can verify this, the links are the Bleacherreport and the Sun newspaper dated 18/12/2019, featruing actual confirmation from Dick Laws himself.

      Now, if Mesut Ozil was aware of what the club were ready to offer Sanchez, do you think he might have thought that he should also be offered the same deal?
      After all, they were both our, far and away, best players.

      How do you view the actions of Sanchez? Mercenary?
      How do you view the actions of Ozil? Mercenary?

      These are the facts that continue to be buried, when discussing the actions of both players and while Ozil gets slated, Sanchez does not.

  8. With Sanchez I believe he would have done well here with Auba and Lacca. Problem with South American players is that they are always looking for something else (more money or more attention or playing time). Carlos Tevez did it to Man Utd to go to Man City, Coutinho did it to Liverpool to go to Barca, Suarez did it to Liverpool to go to Barca. I believe he did not think we will contend for the title and with Man Utd coming in and offering crazy money in wages he left. Ozil, on another hand, is a good player but in the wrong league. He would be great in Bundesliga or Spain where he would have other Midfielders run for him and work for him and he would be a creative player there but in the PL everyone has to pull their weight and work so in away matches and against top 4 teams he was non existent. It’s Arsenal fault in offering him a deal we all would have taken if we were in his position but he is to blame in not, perhaps, going out on loan somewhere where he would get a regular 1st team football and be happier. Definitely believe this will happen more often to PL teams as players here are paid so much that they are unaffordable to anyone outside PL so whilst you don’t want to sell to a rival that can afford your player other clubs cannot afford him so you are stuck in this situation.

  9. I was one of the very few Arsenal fans back in 2016-18 that was calling for Arsenal to not give onto Özil’s undeserved contract demands. I was screaming for our club to not offer Ozil anywhere near £200,000 a week because he had not earned / deserved it due to his overall contributions being average.
    But our minority voices were drowned out by the over emotional and sensationalist majority that were saying things like “Give Ozil whatever he wants”.

    I hope the board has learnt a lesson in how not to give into our over emotional fans demands when it comes to contracts.

    But glad that the club has finally made amends on this Ozil saga. Should have let him go 2016/17 as the latest. But now we move on from such a divisive player that has never accepted personal responsibility in his time ar Arsenal.

  10. KEN this was an interesting read and your second paragraph “My objective…..etc” is of course true but you can equally as well argue that everything that ever happens at any club- provided it is of a certain level of significance- causes fan waves in both or all dirctions. But this state of being is hardly news, is it? Wht you aresaying it seems to me is tht we fans areosionate about our club and our opoinions and pasions are easily roused. Overall this is a helthy thing but hardly of surprise to anyone It is so obvious that is is taken as read by pretty much all fans, at least those who think of these matters.
    You have outlined quite accurately, I would say and I see nothing of import to pick you up on.

    But I still fail to really see the point of your article, given that your explanation paragraph IS true but surely that is widely known, widely accepted as true and therefore, a given already? Thats my view anyway.

    1. Jon, interetingly you found TMJW’s article regarding who was the mercenary out of the two as follows:
      “The only thing I can find fault with in this superbly realistic and spot on article, is that it was written by TMJW, not by me.”

      All I have done is dug deeper into the thoughts behind that article and yet you say:
      “But I still fail to really see the point of your article, given that your explanation paragraph IS true but surely that is widely known, widely accepted as true and therefore, a given already? That’s my view anyway?

      Perhaps Jon, it was because of the facts and opinions I gave, would not have been written by you?

      I would like to know who and why you see as the biggest mercenary however, as I know you and I agree 100% regarding gazidis.

      1. Ken They were and are both mercenaries, as we all know. But I am not interested to comment on your self created competion between two mercenaries. Sanchez did give his all at our club, save for the final disillusioned several months when he switched off but it does not need me to remind anyone of that. All Prem players are mercenaries, as you want my honest opinion. There, you have it.

        But what matters to me (who has known that fact for decades) is whether I personally can continue to support Prem football and our club at all, as all Prem clubs AND we fans , consistently condone this gross greed that disgusts me more and more each day that passes. Especially in the midst of this pandemic reducing countless millions of our fellows and some of ourselves to poverty.

        I loathe myself for being so two faced (a.k.a. hypocritical) by supporting a Prem club at all, considering how much I loathe and detest entitled gross greed. SANCHEZ AND OZIL are just the two worst mercenaries but ALL Prem players are hugely overpaid. THAT is what I think actually MATTERS, not merely who is the worst. We who condone it are ALL culpable!

        1. Thank you Jon, we have talked about the ludicrous salaries footballers “earn” and we both have the same views regarding this.
          As I said, however, your different view on the two articles did surprise me.
          We both want to see June come around sooner rather than later, but for different reasons and I guess the end justifies the means.

  11. And I did not see this Ozil / Sanchez partnership that was the reason why Sanchez was a success at Arsenal. Sanchez was his own man. An individualistic player that did not need no partnerships. Isn’t this why even some ozil fans could sometimes moan about how Sanchez plays like a headless chicken, that he sometimes hampered Ozil by always trying to be the jack of all trade? “

    I remember some ozil fans saying things like i paraphrase, “Sanchez keeps running into Özil’s position all the time trying to be creator and goal scorer. He is making it difficult for ozil to do his job. He is disrupting ozil etc”.

    And Ozil fans were saying how out of the 2 they would rather keep ozil as he is more naturally talented and a better fit for Arsenal than a headless chicken.

    Statements like this.
    🤦‍♂️

    I remember these kinds of statements and comments.

    1. Yet Goonster, Barcelona let him go as he wasn’t good enough – isn’t that the same argument put forward when discussing Ozil’s move form RM that you have used ?

      1. @ken
        I have never overrated Sanchez too. If you are to find my comments about him back then you wouldn’t have said this.
        I used to criticise Sanchez always on different aspects of his game. But again, criticising any of our so called big money signing is always met with emotional and sensationalist counters from our fellow gooners.

        I will let on what I used to say about Sanchez “You can see why Sanchez did not make it at Barcelona. He is a level below the technical ability that Barcelona requires”.

  12. I like the article & the effort to write it. Club loyalty is now a thing of the past for modern players & all persons involved, with the exception of die hard fans, at least that’s how I see it. I believe both players made the decisions they made based on how much they were going to be paid. Sanchez was never going to stay with the kind of money ManU was dishing out & Ozil wouldn’t have stayed either had he not been given a bigger contract. It was a bad situation to be in as a club & it was sad that the management allowed it to happen. It was either we lose one but not both. You can imagine the fans’ outrage had we lost both players. As I said earlier, Loyalty is a thing of the past, & it goes both ways for clubs & players. All we can do as fans is support our badge & hope that whoever wears the red & white gives their best on the pitch.

    1. If Ozil had left for another club we would have called him a traitor (Van persie & Sanchez) as most fans would have said he could have stayed to become a legend now same fans are the one abusing him for not jumping ship when they begged him not to. I have watched arsenal under Arteta’s first few matches and I saw a rejuvenated Ozil in those games so I am still wondering how he became that bad after the pandemic.

      Also I have looked at our club and still wonder how all the midfielders we have at the club is better than Ozil that he couldn’t make the squad.

      I just hope that the fans would accept when another player decides not to renew and move on to another club

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