Arsenal may need to win the BPL in order to convince Mesut Ozil to sign a new deal

Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004 and Arsene Wenger will be filled with a burning desire to reclaim his spot at the summit of English football before the expiration of his current contract in 2017.

It will surely also be in his thoughts that he may need to finish on top in order to convince Mesut Ozil to sign a new deal and remain in north London.

Ozil is currently under contract until the summer of 2018, on the same terms that were agreed when he arrived from Real Madrid in 2013. Come the end of this season, he will be moving into the dangerous territory where he has fewer than two years to run on his deal.

Arsenal know better than most clubs the problems that can pose. Invariably, the power transitions to the player. As the length of time remaining on his deal decreases, his negotiating position becomes stronger.

It would have been understandable if Arsenal weren’t particularly quick to sit down at the negotiating table to talk with Ozil 18 months ago. His form had been indifferent and he didn’t appear to be acclimatising to life in English football especially well.

However, his transformation since then has been dramatic. He is now instrumental to Arsenal’s attacking game, and arguably the most potent creative midfielder in the Premier League. A tally of 17 assists in 24 appearances speaks for itself. Although Danny Welbeck made headlines with his late header in last Sunday’s 2-1 win against Leicester, it was Ozil’s perfectly placed free kick that presented Arsenal with the opportunity to score.

The team has been constructed around its record £42.5 million signing. As a roaming No.10, Ozil is largely liberated from defensive responsibilities. Instead, he is charged with seeking out space in the final third. He plays in perpetual motion, continually looking to escape the attention of the opposition for long enough to pick out one of his telling passes. When Ozil ticks, Arsenal excel. Without him, they look bereft of creativity.

He is indulged and it’s therefore no surprise that he enjoys himself on the pitch. However, he insisted in an interview with German magazine Kicker this past December that he sees no need to rush an extension.

“My contract runs until 2018, that is for another two-and-a-half years. There is no need to hurry,” he said.

“There are no talks at the moment but I can only say that I am very happy in London and that my decision to come here from Real Madrid was the right one.

“There is not a single day, apart from when I was injured, that I have not felt great at Arsenal.”