For a long time, Arsenal has had the reputation of being a "selling Club," but it seemed that the club was not doing everything in its power to keep its two best players on roster. Chilean star Alexis Sanchez and German World Cup winner Mesut Ozil are without a doubt among the best players in the Premier League, which is why Arsenal are now preparing to make them the highest-paid players in the club's history. Both player have one year left in their contracts and the latest offers offers are substantial.
A change of strategy for Arsenal
Arsenal has always been a conservative club, scoffing at huge weekly wages for its players, but it seems that the club now recognize that times have changed and that they should pay the going rate for their top players if they want to keep them.
According to the latest reports, the club has prepared contracts worth a staggering $359,000 (converted to US dollars from the reported £280,000) a week for both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, but there is no indication of whether or not the players will actually sign those contracts.
Sanchez, who scored 30 goals in all competitions in the 2016-17 season is wanted by some of the heavyweights in Europe, which essentially made such a staggering offer necessary. Ozil, on the other hand, has not had such offers, but, being one of the best players in the club, he would want a matching salary. If the players don't sign on then Arsenal risks losing them for free next year and that is something no club wants when it comes to premium assets.
A critical time for the club
Arsenal may not qualify for the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club competition for the first time in two decades, and that has certainly hampered the club's ability to sign top bracket players. The best players want to play in the Champions League and so, if they lose either of Sanchez or Ozil, it would be very hard for the club to find replacements.
That is also one of the big reasons why the club is prepared to break the bank in order to keep these players.
The deal would see the players under contract until around 2020, with the view that the players could still be in their prime and be available for clubs that might be interested in signing them. As an aside, Arsene Wenger's contract negotiations are also up in the air and it is expected that a resolution will be reached tomorrow, following a board meeting today. However, there is no doubt that Wenger will want to have the best players if he does decide to continue as the manager for two more years.
