Arsenal Star Mesut Ozil Demands Assurances Before Accepting 12.5% Pay Cut
By Max Cooper
Arsenal are hopeful that they can convince Mesut Ozil and the two other pay-cut rebels to accept the 12.5% reduction to their current salary, after the trio rejected the club's offer following the coronavirus outbreak.
Ozil has refused to agree to the wage reduction thus far on the grounds that he was not convinced by the club's communication over how the money would be used, rather than any fears over his personal financial situation.
And the Gunners are keen to get their highest-paid player onside in negotiations, as they are desperate to keep back some of the £350,000-a-week earnings that the German international receives.
The rest of the Arsenal stars have come to a verbal agreement with the club over the 12-month pay cut, which has seen them part with 12.5% of their weekly salary. And the Daily Mail reports that the Gunners believe they can win over the three remaining doubters, who are the only players yet to agree to the club's proposal.
in an attempt to smooth over the negotiations, the hierarchy has assured players they will be repaid in full should they qualify for the Champions League next season, and they will receive a portion of their lost earnings for Europa League qualification.
But while Ozil remains unconvinced by Arsenal's offer, an eventual compromise has not been ruled out. In fact, according to ESPN, the playmaker and the club have reached a verbal agreement, and he is willing to accept an even bigger pay cut than the rest of his teammates, but he feels that the overall process has been rushed.
Subsequently, the Arsenal man wants to receive the necessary and clear assurances as to how appropriately the money will be used to help the north London side during this period of financial uncertainty, before agreeing to any deal.
And although many may doubt the ex-Real Madrid star's motives, his track record suggests that he is not too concerned over his own financial gain. Ozil donates £2m every year to a variety of charities, and he even gave up his 2014 World Cup bonus to help pay for a number of surgeries for Brazilian children. A class act.