Mesut Ozil has pronounced himself relaxed over signing a new contract at Arsenal and warned he will make no decision on his future until the end of the season.
Ozil’s contract expires in 2018 and Arsenal are confident they will be able to convince both the German international and Alexis Sanchez to sign new deals after holding initial negotiations.
With rumours swirling that Ozil may be considering his future at the Emirates, though the 27-year-old last month denied reports that he would quit if Arsene Wenger remained at the Arsenal helm.
“There’s no hurry,” Ozil told Sport-Informations-Dienst. “I have two years left on my contract.
“We’ll see how it goes at the end of the season.”
Past reports have also suggested that Ozil may consider a return to Germany or move to Turkey, from where his grandfather emigrated.
He added: “I’m not saying that I definitely must return to the Bundesliga or spend time in Turkey. But I’m not ruling it out either. Maybe I’ll finish my career in England.”
Despite a string of sparkling displays from Ozil in the first half of the campaign, in which the playmaker has provided 18 assists and six goals, Arsenal’s title challenge has collapsed in recent months.
Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland , followed by a 4-0 win for Leicester over Swansea, ended any mathematical hope Arsenal may have had of overhauling the surprise league leaders and they now face a battle to hold on to a Champions League berth.
To secure automatic qualification for the group stages Arsenal must overhaul Manchester City in third place. After a season in which they have failed to compete in cup competitions Ozil believes a top-three berth is the least his side must expect.
“If we finish third and qualify directly for the Champions League we have at least achieved our minimum target,” he said.
“But this season it was possible to become champions. But for that we have lost too many points against small teams.
“I definitely would not have believed [Leicester could be champions]. Nobody would have believed it.
“You can only take your hat off to Leicester. They enter every match at 100 per cent energy and therefore are rightly up there.”
COMMENTS