Arsenal’s Partey / Ozil Contradiction

It’s funny how some Gooners’ moral compass changes when it suits them.Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.Yet that’s what some are asking Arsenal to do. The club have had their fingers burnt in the past by paying over the odds for players to stay who have little resale […] The post Arsenal’s Partey / Ozil Contradiction appeared first on Just Arsenal News.

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It’s funny how some Gooners’ moral compass changes when it suits them.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Yet that’s what some are asking Arsenal to do.

The club have had their fingers burnt in the past by paying over the odds for players to stay who have little resale value. It means if a talent’s attitude changes, form dips or a business decision is made to cut costs, you can be hamstrung by this expensive resource.

An interested buyer isn’t going to invest heavily in a transfer fee as well as wages for someone past the age of 30. That’s why you often see the Gunners over the years almost forget about any fee if it helps facilitate getting huge wages off the balance sheet. Unfortunately, clubs have been very aware of our willingness to loan out or even release a talent to save money.

So at 32, Zubimendi arriving and a poor fitness record, Arsenal don’t feel obliged to carry on paying Thomas Partey £200,000 a week, and certainly not any more than that. The decision has divided our fanbase, yet are some contradicting themselves?

Have We Forgotten What Happened With Ozil?

In January 2021, Mesut Ozil was made the highest-paid player in our history after increased pressure not to lose another star name, the same month Sanchez moved to Old Trafford in a swap deal.

Both players had been allowed to enter the final 6 months of their contracts, meaning their agents held most of the cards. With the benefit of hindsight, some fans criticised the policy of giving a pay rise to a 29-year-old who, because of his age, was never going to have any resale value.
Yet four years later, some supporters think the same should happen regarding Thomas Partey. He’s 32!

With Covid meaning football lost matchday revenue and owners unsure how long it would be until stadiums were full again, Arsenal had buyers’ remorse. While the likes of Mikel Arteta will never admit it, the priority was to slash the wage bill. Clearly under orders from the Kroenke family, a campaign was started to make the midfielder so unhappy in North London that he would feel forced to rip up his deal.

Our PR team set up a strategy to manipulate the fanbase, leaking out that the German was one of three players to refuse a 12.5% salary reduction. Conveniently, the other two names were never leaked. At a time where most of the world couldn’t work, what better time to portray a footballer as greedy?

In reality, the World Cup winner just wanted clarification on what the Kroenkes planned to do to support the club during the pandemic. Was his money truly going to save staff jobs, as had been promised? Because if not, he’d rather donate that cash to charities who needed help more than the Gunners did.

His billionaire boss did indeed lie to the squad. Fifty-five staff were made redundant despite the promise that wouldn’t happen if they agreed to reduced wages. Ozil famously offered for Gunnersaurus’ wage to come out of his own pay when the dinosaur was sacked. This public act of defiance would cost him, he would never play for the Arsenal again.

We knew the decision wasn’t sport-related because in his final game for us before lockdown, he had assisted our winning goal. Now we were meant to believe the most creative talent we had couldn’t even make the bench while his peers were finishing 8th?

His employers had to legally show at all times that he was getting the same treatment as the rest of his co-workers, hence why our manager would always insist there were zero concerns in training and certainly no attitude problems.

In-depth analysis of Mesut Ozil’s Arsenal career after his retirement announcement.

Two Different Stories – So Why The Double Standard?

Essentially paid to sit at home, his representatives made it clear their client liked living in London and wasn’t going to be bullied into accepting a loan or transfer. Many think the definition of a fan is to defend the club even when they are in the wrong.

I know people who felt Ozil was showing pure greed for being content to collect his earnings even though he wasn’t registered to play. That’s the false narrative that was being spun.

In reality, this was simply a man honouring an agreement that all parties were happy to sign, for a figure no one was forced to agree to. It wasn’t his choice not to be playing, and he wasn’t going to be forced to leave the English capital just because someone a lot richer now wanted to save some pennies. The same boss who, at this point, was so poor he was planning to join the Super League!

Yet I know the same readers who felt that Ozil was disloyal for staying too long who now think Partey has been disrespected, because while those in power want him to remain at the Emirates, not for over £200,000 a week!

One man wanted to honour an agreement. The other only wants to carry on playing for us if we get involved in a bidding war for his services.
Which one sounds more loyal to you?

In terms of body of work, one contributed to ending a nine-year trophy drought, boasting four FA Cup medals. The other hasn’t won a major honour in England. It’s not his fault his last five years have been disrupted by injury, but having missed so much action, and knowing he’s no longer going to be starting every week, it’s cheeky of him to expect a pay rise.

There’s nothing wrong with being motivated by financial gain, but let’s have the same convictions.

Ozil wanted to stay on agreed terms. Arsenal didn’t.
Arsenal would like Partey to remain, but he wants to be paid a wage that does not reflect his status.

Ozil is wrong for refusing a pay cut, apparently. But Partey is right to only stay if he wants a pay increase?

Make it make sense.

Dan Smith

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