- Arsenal face risk of losing key individuals in the summer
- Number of star names set to see current contracts expire at the end of season
- One man has seemingly dropped huge hint he wants to stay with Gunners
- READ MORE: Deal close: Arsenal set to complete first January transfer, player in London ahead of move
Arsenal may well have received a huge boost as Mesut Ozil has spoken glowingly of the club amid uncertainty over his future at the Emirates.
The German international has just six months remaining on his current Arsenal contract, and as it stands he will become a free agent in the summer.
While the Gunners will undoubtedly hope that he opts to put pen to paper on a new deal before then, the concern will only continue to grow the longer the wait goes on that they’ll lose him for nothing at the end of the season.
However, while this could be interpreted either way, Ozil has spoken positively of what his stint at Arsenal has meant to him, which could potentially be perceived as a positive assessment of where he sees his future lie from an Arsenal perspective.
“[I joined] because of the history, they had always amazing players, and because I’m here to learn, to grow up and to show my talent for this club,” he said in a Q&A session by Sky Sports for the Young Gunners.
“They have made me bigger, this club. I’m so proud to play for such a big club like Arsenal.”
As added in the report, Arsene Wenger remains confident that he won’t be bidding farewell to his star playmaker in the summer, but until he inks a new contract, nothing can be certain.
While Ozil may well insist that he’s proud to be playing for Arsenal, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee he has an intention to prolong that feeling. Nevertheless, he could have easily sidestepped the question and given a more vague answer, but the one he has given above will surely give fans hope of a new deal being signed.
The 29-year-old has scored four goals and provided five assists in 17 appearances so far this season, and he’ll hope to be an influential figure when the Gunners take on Chelsea on Wednesday night.