Arsenal Is Bigger Than Ozil, Sanchez – Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has confirmed he will offer Santi Cazorla a new contract but insists Arsenal’s future doesn’t depend on whether Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez decide to stay, saying the club “is bigger than that.”

Cazorla had surgery this week on a foot injury and Wenger had refused to say last week whether the club would exercise their option to extend his contract by another year.

The 31-year-old Spaniard’s current deal expires next summer, but Wenger said on Friday that “we will extend, certainly, with Santi Cazorla.”

However, the Arsenal boss is still facing a fight to keep his star duo of Ozil and Sanchez, who have reportedly refused to sign contract extensions as they hold out for a massive pay rise, with only 18 months left on their current deals.

Losing them would be a massive blow to a club that have insisted that their selling days are over after a period when a slew of star players exited for more money elsewhere.

Asked about the importance of proving they can now keep hold of top talent, Wenger said: “Yes, but Arsenal is a big club. It is not one or two players who will make the difference to the club. The importance is that we are today in a financial position that is strong, that was not the case before.

“That means as well we are in a position where we can plan our future, and do what we want to do. And what is important is always to take care of the values of the club, and the identity of the club, and not to depend too much on one or two players. The history of Arsenal is bigger than that.”

Wenger said earlier in the day that he would not entertain offers for either Ozil or Sanchez next summer even if they refuse to sign new deals, meaning they could be allowed to leave for free the following year.

No matter what happens, contract negotiations are likely to continue to be a talking point for Arsenal throughout the season. Not only is Wenger’s own contract up next summer, several other players will also need new deals before the end of the season to avoid a situation where they become available for free the following year.

That includes Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud, whose futures are also uncertain. Wilshere went on loan to Bournemouth this season to resurrect his injury-ravaged career, while Giroud has lost his starting spot to Sanchez and could grow restless on the bench.

“We work as well on Giroud and on many players, there are six or seven cases at the moment but that is the usual case, it is every year like that,” Wenger said. “Giroud, Wilshere. That explains to you why we have a lot of work to do, but you are only interested in two cases.”