It may seem like an impossible decision but, if faced with the option to only keep one at Arsenal, who would you pick, Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez?

Both stars have 18 months left on their existing Arsenal deals and while negotiations are ongoing, neither have put pen to paper. Yet.

If the media is to be believed, both, particularly Alexis, are asking for huge pay rises, which would set us back hundreds of thousands a week. And while I’m sure most of what’s published about this is complete fabrication, given their contribution to the team, it stands to reason that the players would like their wages increased.

What if Arsenal couldn’t afford to pay both players’ new wages and had to pick one to stay?

Who would you rather have?

Since signing for Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013, Mesut Ozil has scored 29 goals in all competitions (140 appearances) and racked up 50 assists.

Alexis, on the other hand, has scored 57 and assisted 36 despite signing for Arsenal a year later. Therefore, statistically, the Chilean contributes more to the team.

Of course, there are other factors to take into consideration. For example, they play in different positions. It’s natural that a forward would score more goals than a midfielder.

Also, you have to look at what they bring to the team apart from goals and assists. While Ozil is our creativity, Alexis is our drive. His work rate is simply unrivalled, not just at Arsenal but probably in the Premier League. He’s unreal.

While Ozil, whom I should probably add is my favourite player, can have quiet games in which nothing seems to work because we rely on his footballing brain so heavily, Alexis rarely has ‘off’ days.

Weighing up both sides, Alexis seems like the better player to keep at the club if they had to be a choice between him and Ozil.

But it wouldn’t be a decision anyone should take lightly.

Since Ozil is my favourite current player, I’d probably be more emotionally effected if the German international was to be shown the door. Especially considering the way he signed for Arsenal.

He was a shining beacon after years of Arsene Wenger not having the funds to buy players of his calibre. He was the dawning of a new age and he took a chance on us, Arsenal and Wenger despite our lack of silverware.

What do you think? If Arsenal had to choose between Ozil and Alexis, who should they pick?

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