Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, has defended the club’s decision to shatter the club’s wage structure to keep Mesut Ozil, calling it “the cheapest option”.
Ozil signed a new three-and-a-half year contract worth £300,000 a week, making him the Premier League’s second-highest paid player behind Alexis Sanchez , who left Arsenal for Manchester United in January.
Before now, Sanchez and Ozil were the best-paid players on around £140,000 a week last season.
“First of all, when we let a player go we have to buy somebody of the same calibre. And if you add the transfer needed – the wages [for the new player] will be similar, but on top of that we have to pay a transfer [fee]. So overall, Ozil was for us the cheapest option,” Wenger said.
New boys Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan both signed deals reportedly worth £180,000 a week, which was an Arsenal record until Ozil penned his new deal. But Wenger insisted that he had no problem with paying such high salaries, as long as it is within the club’s means.
“I never put a limit on that. I just think that at the end of the day, what I never wanted to do was spend 12 when we earn 10. As long as we earn what we can pay, it’s not a problem.
“I did fight my whole life to pay the players good wages. So I’m not against that. I just am against the fact that you live on credit,” the Frenchman stated.
Goals from Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Daniel Sturridge made it a miserable afternoon for the Gunners, who sit 16th in the table with eight goals conceded in three games.
Mesut Ozil was among a number of key Arsenal players criticized for their lack of effort by Gary Neville after the defeat at Anfield. And the German international felt compelled to apologize to fans on social media.
“Blame us, shout at us, criticize us, but I’m also very disappointed about today’s game. We wanted to achieve a positive result before the international break but we were simply not good enough during the 90 minutes and Liverpool deserved the win without a doubt.
“Usually I’m too angry to post on social media after such frustrating days like today, but I don’t want to let this match go uncommented before traveling to the DFB Team.
“Nevertheless… Gunners, I’m sorry – especially for the fans who traveled all the way up to Liverpool to see us fighting. But we will try everything to improve in the next game and bounce back from the disappointment we are all feeling at the moment,” Ozil wrote on Instagram.
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