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Ozil and Sanchez want to stay: Wenger

Arsene Wenger is confident that Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez want to extend their time at Arsena...



Ozil and Sanchez want to stay:...
Soccer

Ozil and Sanchez want to stay: Wenger

Arsene Wenger is confident that Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez want to extend their time at Arsenal.

Both players are under contract until next year, but talk of extending their deals has been postponed until the end of the season.

The London club's upheaval in recent months continues to cast doubt over Wenger's future at the club, as well as the future of the players, should their manager continue in his role.

Sanchez is undoutedly Arsenal's most prolific player at the moment, but there have been moments, which have indicated the end of his time at the club.

The Chilean was dropped for Arsenal's defeat to Liverpool earlier in the month. And while the official line initially was that it was for tactical purposes, the truth later emerged that he was sidelined for disciplinary reasons, after he was reported to have been involved in a dressing-room spat with some of his Arsenal teammates.

He also did an interview, in which he was quoted in Publimetro to have said that he wanted to be at a London club that has a 'winning mentality.'

Many interpreted his words as a desire to move to Chelsea, which would further reinforce the possibility that he will leave before his contract expires in 2018.

But Wenger has elected to read the meaning of the words more positively.

Image:  Matt Dunham/AP/Press Association Images - Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

When asked by Sky Sports how he responded to those comments, Wenger said:

"In a positive way, there's only one team in London, so he's happy. I think personally, he's happy here. It's true that we have not extended his contract yet. I hope that he will stay in the club above all. 

"You have to be very cautious when people give interviews in their home country. The interpretation is not always exactly what they wanted to say. 

"I don't see anything negative in that. He said he wants to win the championship, that's what everybody wants. I can understand that completely. 

Whe pressed for comment about the possibility that Sanchez may have been hinting at a switch to Chelsea, Wenger dismissed the notion. He added that he expects both Sanchez and Ozil to be at the club for the forseeable future.

"It did happen before where we were in a position financially that we had to sell our best players. That's not the case anymore.

"He has one and a half years contract, so I don't think that it is an immediate concern for Arsenal football club. I think once you go into the final two or three months of the season, everybody's more focused on the end of the season. You give yourself more time in a more relaxed atmosphere between the two season.

"I personally believe that they both want to stay and I hope the club will find an agreement with them.

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