Mesut Ozil may have signed a new contract with the club and he may not have, depending on which reports you chose to believe.
Earlier this week it was announced that the German had signed a new bumper deal that would shatter Arsenal’s wage structure and hand him the number 10 shirt that currently belongs to Jack Wilshere.
This was presented as a ‘done deal’ by large sections of the internet, only to be followed by a tweet from James Olley, who tends to be quite close to Arsenal, far more so than the likes of John Cross, for instance.
Mesut Ozil has not agreed a new deal with #afc as reported elsewhere. Talks are ongoing.
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) September 28, 2016
The original report started with Bild who claimed both sides are close to a deal which would keep him at the Emirates until 2020 with a €12m-per-year salary. That works out at £200k per week – around 25% more than the current top salary which Ozil and Sanchez both enjoy.
That would seem like quite a substantial jump for a club like Arsenal who adhere to a strict wage policy.
As for Ozil wanting the number 10 shirt, he’s made no secret of that in that past. But would Arsene Wenger really give it to him given the message that would send Jack Wilshere who is surely hoping to return to the starting lineup up next season?
It would certainly be a bold move, and one not without risks.
Regardless of that fact, the Premier League handbook, section M4, states that a player cannot change his shirt number during the season:
While he remains with the Club a Player will retain his shirt number throughout the season for which it was allocated.
If any new contract does come with a shirt change, it won’t happen until next season.