Arsenal: Mesut Ozil sale will pay for itself, fee or not

Arsenal really should be looking at ways to cut ties with Mesut Ozil for the betterment of their future, but even at a cut fee, it will pay itself off.

I’m with Unai Emery on this one. Arsenal are better off without Mesut Ozil at this point. No matter how many chances are given to the German playmaker, it never seems to be enough to justify the ridiculous wages that he is making.

The wages are like a lingering curse from Wenger. Of course he didn’t mean it like that, he undoubtedly thought it would benefit his successor to have such a huge player locked down for the long-term, but Ozil and Emery just don’t jive in any way. Wenger and Ozil were perfect for each other, not so with the new regime.

Hence why I’ve been preaching about the sale of Ozil all month (and before). I have immense respect for Ozil and his talent, I just don’t see how he fits in at the club anymore, and thus it would be best for both parties if he were to seek his fortunes elsewhere.

Which is the problem though – he is making a fortune at Arsenal as the highest paid player in clubd history (a number that will probably stand for another decade). It was unprecedented that a Gunner would be paid that much money and we’re starting to see why the club steered away from doing it.

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Because Ozil is stuck now. He wants to be here, he’s living a good life here, he’s making a lot of money, and to sell him, we would likely have to take half of what we initially paid for him (if we’re lucky).

Even still, say we got a £20m fee for Ozil. That is incredibly low given his talent levels and the length of his contract, but the fact is, his wages are restricting the dealings of the club. Many other players have wages clogging it up as well, but Ozil is the big white whale of the wage problem. Take his out, and we have more freedom to invest in other areas.

That’s the thing though – forget the transfer fee. Is it crazy to think that, no matter the fee, just being rid of his wages would pay for itself?

It feels weird to be talking about selling a player in terms of it “paying itself off” but that is exactly how I think we need to be approaching the potential sale of Mesut Ozil. He isn’t playing. At all. Whether it be injuries or tactical reasons. He just isn’t playing.

That being the case, find a suitor (there have to still be plenty) and accept whatever they are willing to pay in the spirit of just getting these wages off the books.

Of course, it would never be that simple – Ozil and the clubs involved would all have to agree, which sounds impossible at this point. But we can start with just accepting that whatever the transfer fee, it is worth entertaining.