Meatwad wrote:

with no ozil, the #10 should be removed from our formation. there are only substandard internal replacements.

Now that we have Ramsey, Elneny, Coquelin and Xhaka to choose from, I honestly think we could get away with a 4-4-2 if Ozil wasn't fit.

10 days later

Wenger discussed Ozil’s contract situation with more frankness than ever before on Saturday evening, after Ozil scored a brilliant volley in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Swansea City. “I don’t think he needs convincing, he wants to stay here,” said Wenger, before a telling throwaway comment. “If you have a good bank, call me.”

Wenger would not go into details about the differences between the camps. “We keep that discreet,” he said, “at due time we will come out with that.” But when Wenger had the opportunity to say that he was confident Ozil would sign, he demurred. And he was reluctant to underline how important keeping Ozil was, unless he strengthened the player’s camp in negotiations.

“Tonight it’s not my main worry,” Wenger said. “We want to keep our best players, of course. The more I say that, the more he is in a stronger position.”

Wenger did say, for what it is worth, that money was not the thing holding Ozil back from committing his future to Arsenal. This is Ozil’s fourth season at Arsenal and he has not yet been part of a genuine title challenge. Wenger said that a strong push for this year’s title would help to convince Ozil that he is in the right place.

“It’s not just money,” Wenger said. “Arsenal can win titles of course. But that’s what we have to show. We are in a league where Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea  everybody fights and you cannot guarantee that to anybody.”

That's why we should separate the manager from the negotiating table.
At the age of 28, money plays a major role in the decision as unlike a manager whose earning potential increases with age and is still able to work when he/she is 65 years old, a player over 32 has no chance of earning top dollar unless he goes to some Arab country and is finished by 35.
It also makes someone else the bad guy in the player's mind if the club wins the negotiating battle.

Those quotes reinforce what I think everyone knows at this point: win or he'll leave.

Bold Tone wrote:

That's why we should separate the manager from the negotiating table.

My thoughts as well. I'm pretty sure in other clubs it's even the other way around, that managers like to see their players earn as much as possible for a number of reasons such as being able to attract other players on big wages. Of course there are advantages such as Wenger never financially ruining a club like Mourinho did at Inter but there are drawbacks as well

Wenger wrote:

on player contract negotiations…

It was always difficult. Honestly, what has changed is the size of the numbers but the difficulty was always the same. It’s always difficult to keep the good players because they are wanted by other clubs and it’s normal as well that the players try to get the maximum out of their negotiations because they have 10 years to play at the top level if all goes well. So it has always been difficult, you know, just the numbers have changed.

Klaus wrote:

Those quotes reinforce what I think everyone knows at this point: win or he'll leave.

That may be true, but i would rather focus on winning the title than expending time and energy in these negotiations. To often we have attempted to keep players with 'intangibles' like CL, attractive football etc etc while ironically paying them well enough.

What we need is genuine ambition. Win and it is almost irrelevant if ozil and sanchez want to stay or leave.

People are reading too much into this. Wenger doesn't run the Arsenal HR department, he is simply briefed on progress. I don't think even him or the players are actively involved in negotiations. It would be done through their agents and the club negotiators with oversight from Gazidis. There are a lot of things being discussed here and it's not just wages but image rights, appearance fees, bonuses etc.

Saying he doesn't have a seat at the negotiation table is like saying he doesn't have a say on transfer fees.

He doesn't need a seat to contribute or offer advice when required.

General wrote:

People are reading too much into this. Wenger doesn't run the Arsenal HR department, he is simply briefed on progress. I don't think even him or the players are actively involved in negotiations. It would be done through their agents and the club negotiators with oversight from Gazidis. There are a lot of things being discussed here and it's not just wages but image rights, appearance fees, bonuses etc.

I'm not sure the HR department deals with Ozil and Sanchez contracts.

Wednesday's Meetings

11.15 Doris the tea lady
11.30 Mesut Ozil

2 months later

"socialist wage plan" Welbeck was on 15k/week for fuck's sake 😆

Nah, Burnsy, he was on 15k at United. They're implying Wenger has a "socialist wage plan".

I'm just saying there's no version of socialism that involves people being paid 15k/week or more. It just bugs me, there are a couple of OMITT posters who always refer to a flat wage structure as "socialist" was well. 😆

Yep it's a clear misuse of the word.

Did not know where to post this...
RMC are saying that Giroud signed a new contract until 2019, and Coquelin until 2021.

Also talk Koscielny close to signing an extension until 2020.

Giroud will be laboring in 2019.....big bodies fade fast