Ozil's Arsenal future does not depend on mine, says Wenger

Ozil's Arsenal future does not depend on mine, says Wenger

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has played down the link between his own future at Arsenal and midfielder Mesut Ozil saying the media has misread the German's comments. The Frenchman said that he is currently relaxed over his key player's contracts as Ozil still has 18 months left for an extension.

Recently, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil spoke about his future at the North London club by saying that he is very invested in club manager Arsene Wenger's stay at the club.

“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],” the 28-year old told German football magazine Kicker, last Sunday.

These comments led to a rumour that the former Real Madrid midfielder will leave the Gunners if Arsenal do not extend Wenger's contract at the end of this season. However, Wenger played down these links saying that the media has misinterpreted Ozil's comments.

"I think he (Ozil) has been a bit misinterpreted," Wenger told a news conference on Friday when asked about the player's comments.

"He would like to know what happens on the managerial front of course, but I don't think that is the main part of his decision. It is part of it, but it's not the only thing.

"There are many other ingredients in any negotiation and hopefully we will find a conclusion very quickly with him. We always speak, I speak more with his agent on the contract than with him."

Arsenal's French trio of Laurent Koscielny, Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin have also extended their contracts on Thursday which led to rumours that their star duo of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are set to leave the club in summer. But Wenger said he was not ready to push the panic button over Ozil and Sanchez just yet.

"It is important that we have stability in our squad and they are part of that. We are in the process with others," he said.

"Let's not forget all these players have 18 months to go, that is a long time in football. I'm very relaxed."

Ozil, Sanchez, goalkeeper Petr Cech and Koscielny will all return for Saturday's trip to Swansea City.

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