Arsenal: So why did Mesut Ozil decide to stay again?

Mesut Ozil has revealed why he decided to stay at Arsenal. It doesn’t really make sense. Or at least, it doesn’t make football sense, which is a concern.

The January transfer deadline day was a funny one for Arsenal. They were coming off a disastrous loss against Swansea City, in which the same-old defensive questions were again raised, and with Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott already having departed, as well as Olivier Giroud seemingly nearing an exit, a great state of flux and uncertainty reigned.

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However, of all the potential outcomes from that day, from the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the sale of Giroud, none was more surprising than the retention of Mesut Ozil, securing the German to a three-and-a-half year contract, keeping him at the Emirates until the summer of 2021.

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The prominent question at the time was ‘why?’. And not from the Arsenal perspective. It was perfectly clear why they wanted to retain one of their most influential and talented individuals of the last half-decade. But from Ozil’s. Why did he want to stay at a rotting club that looked likely to fall foul of Champions League football for the second season in succession, that was slipping away from their domestic rivals, and that was embroiled in controversy surrounding a stubborn, stagnating manager and a wallet-bound board? Well, now we have an answer, of sorts:

"“I’ve always said to the club that I’m happy here and now I’ve signed, I’m really happy. My team-mates and family have always supported me. I have a lot of goals here with the team, I want to reach those and I’m really happy. I love the city. Before I signed the contract, I spoke with my family about what the best decision was for me. At the end of the day, it was really easy for me to say ‘yes’ to the club. I’m here for more years and I hope we will win some titles with the team. I believe in that.”"

In fairness to Ozil, he did never, publicly, at least, express a desire to depart North London. Even if his body language belied his true intentions and motivations, his words were unified and consistent: He wanted to stay.

But the reasons that he provides — liking the life in London; the desire to win titles; the support of his family and his teammates — are either inconsequential ones to the fate on the field or extremely naive and unlikely ones.

Life in London, for instance, should be a factor in one’s decision. It certainly played a part in Giroud’s insistence to not join Borussia Dortmund or Everton six months prior. But it should be supplementary to the targets, aims, and motivations on the pitch. Ozil is, after all, a footballer. Now, if his family were to demand he move, then, obviously, such commitments should come first. But the fact that his life in London is one of the primary reasons for staying is somewhat concerning.

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Nevertheless, Ozil has decided to stay. It is still a decision that baffles me somewhat, and leads me to question whether the money had a rather big part to play. Hopefully, his dreams of titles and trophies are what determined such a choice, but, sadly, I have my doubts.