Football news -Arsene Wenger: Mesut Ozil hasn't performed since signing 'comfort zone' Arsenal deal
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ByEurosport
Updated 19/02/2019 at 10:44 GMT
Arsene Wenger has criticised Mesut Ozil's contribution to Arsenal since he signed a £350,000-a-week deal at the Emirates Stadium in January 2018.
Mesut Özil shakes hand of Arsène Wenger
Image credit: Getty Images
30-year-old Ozil has started just one match since Boxing Day under new coach Unai Emery with Wenger believing his fall from grace is partly down to the long-term deal that he signed a year ago when the Frenchman was manager.
The bumper contract is due to expire in 2021 after Arsenal caved in to keep the German playmaker - a £42.4m signing from Real Madrid in 2013 - at the club on huge wages.
"I feel that the length of the contract has nothing to do normally with the selection of the team. But sometimes there are special cases," said Wenger
Most of the time now we think when we sign a player for five years we have a good player for five years. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they practice, they play their best. Because they might be in their comfort zone.
"He has a contract but the problem is that if you want to buy a player like him you have to spend £100m.
"And to maintain the value of the player, beyond the Ozil case, it is more about the way football is structured.
"To buy players of top, top quality you need £100m. So the decision you have to make is whether you re-sign the player, who costs us nothing, or do we have the money to buy a new player?"
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