Arsene Wenger believes Mesut Ozil is enjoying his best run of form in an Arsenal shirt ahead of a hectic festive period which will see his side face West Ham, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and West Brom.
Ozil, who is currently involved in a contract stand-off with the Gunners, scored a spectacular winner against Newcastle United on Saturday to help Arsenal to a tenth league win of the season.
The German superstar now has three goals and five assists for the campaign and Wenger insists he is in the form of his life ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash with West Ham and Friday’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool.
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Asked whether Ozil was enjoying his most consistent spell for the club, Wenger said: ‘Yes. Certainly, I think he takes responsibilities and that is what you want from him.
‘He is mature, he guides the team, they are aware he is on the ball a lot – always your heart rate goes down when he has the ball.
‘Not only his goal but I would say more important is the quality and the influence he has on the collective game.
‘You cannot score a goal like that every week, but you can play like he plays usually every week. So that is more important. If he adds that to his game then that is even more important.’
Ozil is yet to put pen to paper on a contract extension at the Emirates but Wenger remains confident that the 29-year-old, who has been linked with Manchester United and Barcelona, wants to stay put.
And the French boss refused to be drawn into whether Ozil staying was more or less important than a clarification over Alexis Sanchez’s future.
Arsenal 2017/18 fixtures
West Ham United (H) – Tues Dec 19 (EFL Cup)
Liverpool (H) – Fri Dec 22
Crystal Palace (A) – Thurs Dec 28
West Brom (A) – Sun Dec 31
Chelsea (H) – Wed Jan 3
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‘I believe he [Ozil] wants to stay,’ Wenger said after Saturday’s narrow win over Newcastle. ‘I wouldn’t like to compare. You want nobody to leave and see where we stand on that.
‘But at the moment it is very difficult to say. Until the end of the season we know what the situation is, but after that I cannot tell you.’
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