Opinion: Time for Arsenal to cut loose £550,000-a-week pair, move in new direction

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With just 10 months remaining on their respective Arsenal contracts, how many of us really expect either Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez to sign new deals?

The pair leaving the Gunners is rapidly becoming the more likely scenario as the wait goes on for contract renewal updates, but there doesn’t seem to be much positivity coming out.

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According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal have offered Sanchez a £300,000-a-week contract, while Ozil would be in line to earn £250,000-a-week or more if he commits his future to the club, but neither have yet put pen to paper and as per the report, have intimated that they will snub the offers.

With the January transfer window rapidly approaching, a decision will have to be made on the pair and rather than lose them for nothing in July, it’s time Arsenal and Arsene Wenger to let the pair go.

In an ideal world, of course the north London giants would keep Sanchez. The 28-year-old is a world-class player and a talismanic presence for the Gunners as he showed his class last season with 30 goals and 19 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions.

The lack of commitment this season argument is nonsensical as it’s evident that the Chilean international just wants to play football. Ultimately though, he has ambitions too and that is surely the only issue that is preventing him from signing a new deal as the money on the table and a prominent role for Arsenal are both there.

In a bid to win major trophies, based on Arsenal’s recent history in that department, he’ll have to move on to accomplish that and it’s difficult to really argue with it.

With regards to Ozil though, he’s surely the more replaceable of the two. The German international has failed to register a goal or an assist in five outings this season, while he managed 12 goals and 14 assists in 44 outings last year.

He possesses great creative qualities and is technically sound and a real class act on the ball. However, when he isn’t influencing matters from an attacking sense, then he leaves himself open to criticism for his lack of defensive work and combativeness.

His body language and attitude have been criticised on countless occasions previously, as has his inability to influence the big games. In turn, Arsenal would do well to get what they can for him in January, use the money from the transfer fee and from offloading his wages on a top signing either in the same window if possible, or if not wait until the summer as they have shown they can cope without him so far this season.

If you don’t agree with us, then Arsenal legend Martin Keown has a similar take on the German ace…

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