Arsène Wenger believes Arsenal must convince Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez the club can challenge for silverware if contract negotiations are to conclude with the pair signing long-term deals.
Özil and Sánchez, who are expected to play in tonight's Champions League tie against the Bulgarian club Ludogorets Razgrad, have entered the last 20 months of their contracts at the Emirates stadium. Both earn a reported £140,000 (€157,000) a week and would expect to secure a hefty pay rise to stay beyond 2018 when deals with Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also expire.
Wenger said: “I think these kind of players can raise a little bit above the financial aspect of the game because they are not poor and they have to look really at the football side. It is more about whether the club can meet their needs on the football front. If ‘yes’ then a Premier League club can find an agreement with the players. We still keep values . . . and we pay what we can afford.
Wage scale
“We still have a scale of wages. It has become a bit more individual than when I arrived 20 years ago because every case is a bit special. But don’t worry, they are all paid well. These days, when you sign a contract for four years, you are actually signing for two because of the simple fact that, just to keep the value of the player, you have to extend the contract two years before it is due to end. Sometimes one year.”
Negotiations have yet to open with Wilshere – on a season-long loan at Bournemouth – Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The last two may play against Ludogorets as Wenger juggles his resources while seeking to extend a winning run to seven in all competitions. Oxlade-Chamberlain did not feature in either of England’s World Cup qualifiers and, having not started a Premier League game since mid-September, has suggested he would review his future in the summer.
“That I can understand,” said Wenger, whose team top Group A. “But, on the other hand, you buy a young player at 17 years of age, you spend a lot of money on him, so then you would like him to stay. I think his place is here.”
Ludogorets, two points off Levski Sofia in the Bulgarian top flight, secured a draw at Basel and took the lead at home to Paris Saint-Germain in Sofia last month, only to succumb 3-1. Their main threat will come through forward Jonathan Cafu, who has scored five goals in his past six appearances. Guardian Service
