Arsenal: Mesut Ozil Distancing Himself Undermines Arsene Wenger’s Standing

Mesut Ozil has stated that his Arsenal future is not dependent on Arsene Wenger. Such comments undermine the very foundation of Wenger’s standing.

The future of Arsene Wenger is a topic of great uncertainty and sensitivity among Arsenal circles. Some are staunch defenders of the man who has led the club to its greatest ever success. Others are more critical of the repeated issues that are, per the critics, crippling the organisation.

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It is more likely that the truth lies somewhere in between the two. Wenger is a great manager; one of the very best to ever grace the beautiful game. But that does not excuse the weaknesses of his management style, weaknesses that have stifled the success of the club over the past decade.

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One of the main arguments for keeping Wenger at the club is the strength of his relationship with many of his players. It was thought that he was well-liked and well-respected; a primary reason for why players joined and subsequently stayed in North London. However, that may not be as true as many had first thought.

With his contract winding down, Mesut Ozil’s future has been a major doubt throughout the season thus far, with some reports suggesting that his decision would be tied to that of Wenger’s at the end of the season. But in an interview with German publication Bild, Ozil has revealed that the decision he makes regarding his future is not dependent on that of his manager:

"“I have always said I’m very happy at Arsenal. Everything fits here – the club, the fans and the city. Arsene Wenger was also one of the main reasons why I joined Arsenal. However, I also know that in football everything moves very quickly and a lot differently to what you had planned. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that my future is dependent on the coach.”"

The comments do throw major doubt regarding the standing of Wenger. Perhaps his relationship with his players is not as strong as many, from an external perspective, might have believed. If that is the case, then the question of what he brings to the club is a fair one to level.

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He is not the most tactically astute coach, he is not the wisest in the transfer market and he’s not particularly adept at dealing with the media. Where he excels is on the training ground, in the day-to-day dealings with his players. But per Ozil. that may not be all that significant. Wenger’s standing is becomingly increasingly more unstable.