Arsenal: Do not underestimate Mesut Ozil win

Mesut Ozil wants to stay at Arsenal. With the growing worries regarding the futures of Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wojciech Szczesny and Jack Wilshere, Ozil wanting to stay is a win that should not be underestimated.

Entering the summer, while much of the media attention focused on possible recruits, the key to a successful offseason for the Gunners centred on the retention, rather than the addition, of talent. Thanks to a crisis of contract mismanagement, the Arsenal squad is littered with players who have just one more year remaining on their current deals.

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From the stars of the show to the extras on the side, Arsene Wenger has several players’ futures that he must appease. Some are far keener to agree to new contracts than others, but many are key contributors to the squad, and it would be far more advantageous to keep them in-house, rather than sell, replace and hope to replicate.

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So when one of the more established potential departees publicly states that he wants to stay at the Emirates, it should be considered a major win. Speaking ahead of the preseason opener against Sydney FC on Thursday, Mesut Ozil stated that his preference is to stay at the club, revealing that contract talks would restart when back in London:

"“It is definitely my preference to stay. It is such a great club and I have always said that I feel very good at Arsenal. Once everyone is back in London we will sit down and discuss the future. For now the most important thing is our pre-season and getting through the tour, training and getting fitness. When I’m back in London, we will sit down and discuss.”"

Ozil wanting to stay at Arsenal is significant. He is a player above the calibre that a club without Champions League football or consistent title challenges could usually attract or command.

Would Arsenal be able to convince Ozil to sign with them if he had no prior relationship with the club, the fans and the manager? It is difficult to say but probably not. Moreover, by Ozil announcing his intention to stay with the club, it offers the opportunity to sell the future of the team in far brighter light to other players pondering an exit.

Ozil is a player of a quality and a reputation that could have been considered out of reach of a stagnating and rotting organisation. And yet, he wants to stay. That is highly significant.

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Just because his form tailed off in the latter half of last season drastically, to the extent that he was overshadowed by the remarkable success of Alexis Sanchez, that does not mean that he no longer an excellent player, and one that fans should celebrate being in North London.