Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis says that the clubs decision not to sell Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in the summer shows that they value the success of the club over money.

The duo have less than one year remaining on their current deals, and there is no sign that they will be renewing any time soon. Yet Arsenal resisted the temptation to sell them in the summer, despite potentially paying a hefty price if they leave for free next summer.

Manchester United are the favourites to land Ozil in January, while City will hope to strike an agreement with Sanchez after failing with a deadline day bid during the summer.

Of course, Arsenal would ideally like to hold onto the pair – but Gazidis has hinted that the demands are far too great.

Answering questions at the Arsenal’s annual general meeting on Thursday, he said: “You don’t always have a choice of where you sell a player, nor do you have control of whether a player extends with you or what demands his agent makes.

“From the outside, none of this information is going to be in the public domain. That leads to pressure and criticism.

“Those on the outside don’t know the dynamics, don’t know the demands being made, don’t know the constraints.

“Probably the most vocal criticism we have ever had at an AGM was after we had transferred Robin van Persie (to Manchester United) in the last year of his contract.

“That was one of the most difficult decisions we have ever had to make and we were told then we were financially motivated and not focused on football. This summer, with stronger underlying financials, we have taken a different tack.

“The decision on Alexis and Mesut Ozil are certainly not decisions that fit the narrative that we put money first. We have taken that approach to give the club the best possible chance to compete for trophies this season.”
[Quotes via Sky Sports]