Arsenal: Mesut Ozil Contract Ultimatum Changes The Game

Arsenal has had it made perfectly clear how to keep Mesut Ozil and it might not be popular, but the German maestro has certainly changed the game.

The biggest side stories of this Arsenal campaign have been the contract sagas of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. Both have expressed their love for the club and their desire to stay, but the contract is still missing the all-important element – the signature.

Related: 10 Things We Learned About Arsenal In 2016

As such, any and all details pertaining to the status of these contracts is massive and Mesut Ozil has just dropped a massive bomb on any and all negotiations.

“The club knows that I am here most of all because of Arsène Wenger. He is the one who signed me and he is the one whose trust I have. The club also knows that I want to be clear what the manager is going to [in the future],” Ozil said, via the Guardian.

That changes things. It changes a lot of things.

First of all, we know how to keep Mesut Ozil. Keep Le Prof, keep Le Maestro. It’s that simple. But then again, it isn’t simple at all. Wenger is out of contract this summer and apparently there is more riding on his continued stay than just a guaranteed spot in the top four every year.

This has to hurt the Wenger-Outers right in the feelings. To know that the future of Mesut Ozil at the club is dependent on Wenger remaining.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

All of that aside, this speaks volumes to what Wenger means to the club. I am guilty of questioning Ozil’s motivation in the past, but to hear that so much of why he is here is still because of Arsene Wenger makes my heart tingle. Even after all these years Le Prof is still able to coral superstars, improve them, and maximize their potential.

Maybe it isn’t a foolproof formula, but Ozil is basing his Emirates career off of the trust he has gained with Wenger. To start over with a new manager just doesn’t cut it, which makes me wonder if his loyalty to Wenger doesn’t override his loyalty to the club.

Whatever the case, this changes the game for sure. Mesut Ozil has just cast a crucial vote in the Wenger odyssey by tying his own future to it. Maybe the brain trust at Arsenal already knew this, but now that everyone in the world knows it, there is no hiding from it.

Next: Arsenal's 30 Greatest Players Ever

Keep Arsene Wenger and Mesut Ozil stays. Let Wenger move on and so does Ozil. How’s that for an ultimatum?