https://www.skysports.com/football/n...d-17-1m-payoff
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Firstly, many people objected to the extension and Ozil’s contract. Secondly, even if they didn’t, so what?
Both decisions with hindsight were proven to be the wrong ones. :shrug:
Bouldie must be on Justin Beiber monies considering we didn’t kick him to the kerb as well.
Can’t be his usefulness as a defensive coach imo
Makes you wonder when they actually decided AW would be got rid of? IF they had an idea earlier in the season that it was on the cards then letting both of the players go might not have been a bad idea rather than offering a huge contract to the 1 player nobody seemed to want to sign anyway.
I think it was a lot about saving face. We had Alexis and Özil, who were both stalling on a new deal. Be this due to lack of ambition/investment in the squad, we don’t know. But they were stalling.
The club could not be seen to lose both of its premier stars on free transfers in one summer, so we had to agree with one.
Alexis wanted City (and who can blame him?) but then United thundered in with £500k a week plus a cut of image rights. This was a deal that Arsenal will never be able to match.
That left Özil as the one we couldn’t afford to lose. Not because of what he does on the pitch, but because of his stature in the game.
I think you are right. There were a number of people demanding we "show our ambition". There were also a number of people calling not to pay this kind of money to Ozil. This time last year we were a very fractured fan base.
I wonder whether we actually tried to sell Ozil?
It doesn't make sense. If that was the case, it seems utterly ludicrous to give him £350K a week and make him one of the highest paid players in the league.
Alternatively, there were lots of takers and we "showed" our ambition by signing him up
The obvious fall back is that we were desperate and vulnerable, Ozil's team sensed it and went in for the kill. A tactic I intend to use this summer at my place of work.
Perhaps he was happy and never angling for a move just a right deal (though he was often and heavily connected with a move to Old Trafford, certainly prior to the Alexis deal). It's one of WES's favourite angles in his many diatribes against Ramsey earlier in the season/over the summer to point out that he was never really connected with any big clubs, yet lo and behold once it was clear he was going there were plenty of alleged suitors and a massive offer from one of the biggest clubs in the world