Arsene Wenger: Mesut Ozil not for sale

Wenger insists that Mesut Ozil remains a vital part of his squad and expects more consistent performances next season

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has rubbished talks of Mesut Ozil leaving the club, according to The Telegraph.The Frenchman insisted that the player was happy and will remain an important player to his squad for the upcoming season.

The Independent cited Italian newspaper Tuttosport’s reports that Italian giants Juventus were lining up a £28.8 million bid for the German international. Turkish newspaper Sabah had reported meanwhile that the 26-year-old was interested in a move to Fenerbahce in the future. Wenger however, told there was no way he was letting go of a player who came into his own towards the latter end of the 2014/15 season.

Arsenal touched down in Singapore for the Barclays Asia trophy as part of their pre-season tour and their long-serving manager addressed the press conference to clarify on Ozil’s situation.

“Ozil is our player, he will remain our player and he wants to remain our player,” Wenger said. “It is a big season for him because he had a difficult start last year and in the second part of the season, he was very important.”

Wenger feels that people will see a much improved Ozil as he begins his third year in England.

“Ozil understands the rhythm of English football and he has improved his defensive attitude. He works hard and offensively he is a top class player. There are many offensive players who have an important season in front of them, but I’m confident because I think they have the quality.” Wenger told.

Wenger opens up on rivals’ transfer activity

Wenger insists that Arsenal were never interested in Raheem Sterling as they already had enough players to fill the England international’s position.

“It looked a done deal for a while because Sterling was adamant he wanted the move. It’s a good buy for Man City. It is an expensive one but they can afford it. We never considered it because he plays in an area where we have plenty of players. We have Walcott, Chamberlain, Sanchez, Wilshere and Gnabry who can play wide or behind the striker,” Wenger told The Telegraph.

The Professor also talked about Manchester United’s transfer activities saying the Old Trafford club have made some important buys.

“We knew Man United would not be happy to finish outside the top three and that they would respond," said Wenger. “They did it by buying two important players – Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin – one who is going up to the top level and one who has done it all.”