Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger / AFP PHOTO / IKIMAGES AND AFP PHOTO / Ian KINGTON
• Club offers Ozil £280,000-a-week deal
Arsene Wenger admits an ongoing revolt among Arsenal fans will have an influence over his decision whether to leave the club at the end of the season. This comes as the Gunners have offered star midfielder, Mesut Ozil, a £280,000-a-week deal to stay in London.
Wenger’s position at the club came under renewed pressure on Tuesday after a humiliating 5-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich. The 10-2 aggregate defeat saw them eliminated at the last-16 stage for the seventh consecutive season.
Gunners’ supporters dissented against the Frenchman before kick-off, with an estimated 200 fans marching in protest against Wenger outside the stadium. The mood only soured further as the evening went on.
Wenger has an offer to extend his stay at the Emirates and insists he will hold off on making a decision until the end of the season. But, for the first time during his 20-year spell as manager in north London, he now admits the sight of fans turning on him could force him out of the club.
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“I don’t know, its difficulty to judge [supporters], I have worked hard for 20 years to make fans happy,” he said speaking to reporters ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup quarter-final clash against Lincoln City.
“When you lose a game I understand they are not [happy]. I don’t want to judge that. I said many times, you have to accept many opinions.” When asked if the rising tension between the club and supporters will have an influence over his decision whether or not to sign a new contract, he responded: “Yes, it will have influence. It may not be most important fact but you consider it, of course.
Ozil could earn around £280,000-a-week if he decides to extend his contract at Emirates. He is currently the highest earner at Arsenal with wages of around £140,000-a-week plus bonuses.
Arsenal signed Ozil from Real Madrid for a fee of £42 million in 2013 and the German has had a mixed career in England so far.According to Daily Mirror, the 28-year-old midfielder is stalling on his contract extension because he believes he can get more money at another club. Ozil has 15 months left on his current deal and could leave the club at the end of this season.
It is a similar issue with Alexis Sanchez as well. The Chilean winger has been offered wages of £200,000-a-week, but the former Barcelona star is holding out for more.
With Arsene Wenger’s future also in doubt, it seems that a massive exodus at Arsenal is definitely on the cards this summer. The French manager is out of contract at the end of this season and has not signed an extension yet.Arsenal are currently fifth in the Premier League table and will be looking to finish in top four.
Source: G Sport
