Prior to the beginning of the season, there was quite a bit of speculation in regards to the future of the Arsenal star Mest Ozil. After a comparatively mediocre campaign last season, there were a lot of reports linking the playmaker with a return to Germany, with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich said to be interested in acquiring his services.
However, the German international has now ruled out a return to Germany in the near future and spoke of his happiness with life at Arsenal and his relationship with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.
As quoted by the Daily Express, Ozil said: “I can never say I will return. I have beautiful memories of home, but I’m with Arsenal until at least 2018. [Arsenal boss Arsene] Wenger has always backed me strongly. He’s always there for me. I’d like to say so far, this is my strongest season for Arsenal. But no, this is the strongest season so far in my career.”
Looking at the stats, no one can disagree with Mesut’s final statement. The player has already notched up 15 assists this campaign and looks to be on course to break Arsenal legend Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a single season. For me, his happiness with life at the Emirates and his understanding with Wenger are the reasons behind the fantastic season he is having.
The next step for Arsenal now will be to tie down the irreplaceable German to another long-term contract. At the end of the current campaign, there will be just two years left on his current deal and the last thing that Wenger would want to do is delay negotiations till the final year of his deal.
Should Arsenal win the title this season and sign a couple of big-name players in the summer, it will not be a very hard task to convince the former Real Madrid star to extend his stay in North London.