Arsene Wenger has confirmed the club are in talks with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez over new deals and says he believes Arsenal is the right place for them to continue their careers.
The pair’s contracts have become the topic of much discussion over recent weeks with both deals set to expire in 2018 and no extensions yet confirmed.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Middlesbrough, Wenger revealed the club have been in touch with the pair and insisted they are happy in north London.
“We are in touch and that is our desire. Ozil is 28 and is in the prime of his career. We want him to contribute to the club’s future. I believe he is in the right place,” said via the official Arsenal website.
“They want to be happy, and they are happy. We want them to commit to the club because we feel they are at the right place. I don’t want to speak about that [new contract] and nothing has changed to what I said before.”
Wenger also singled Ozil out for praise after the Germany international scoring his first senior hat-trick in the 6-0 Champions League win over Ludogorets on Wednesday.
“We are being clinical in the counter attack. Ozil works well in finishing in training and I believe every player gets in the habit of having a game,” he added. “He experienced his game as a provider, now slowly he is getting the tastes that of scoring.”
“That’s what you want him to do, to add that to his game. There’s no reason that he should not finish and score. Hopefully the fact that he scored again on Wednesday night will give him that taste and desire.”
Wenger also denied recent reports that Ozil was waiting for Wenger to commit his future to the club befre doing the game.
“No, I don’t say that. They are happy at the club and I want them to commit to the club because they believe they are in the right place,” he explained.
“I gave Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez extra time to recover over the summer, and I believe that was the right decision.”
Wenger’s comments regarding the pair are finally positive but fans will be hoping new deals can be secured sooner rather than later to avoid the saga dragging on and potentially affecting the team who are in fine form.