Arsenal vs Tottenham: Arsene Wenger challenges Mesut Ozil to sign new contract and become a club legend

Ozil's contract runs out at the end of next season

Ozil scored a late winner in the Champions League in midweek (Getty)

Arsene Wenger believes Mesut Ozil can elevate himself to the rank of Arsenal club legend if he commits his long-term future to the north London club.

Ozil, 28, confirmed his growing importance to Wenger’s side with an outstanding individual goal to secure victory in the final moments of the Champions League group game at Ludogorets this week, yet the prospects of him remaining at the club beyond the end of next season remains uncertain.

Negotiations about a new deal are ongoing but so far remain unresolved, and while Wenger acknowledges the player’s current form merits comparison with Dennis Bergkamp, who spent 11 years at the club after arriving from Inter Milan in 1995, the manager insists Ozil must add longevity to his Arsenal career to be considered an equal of the club’s greats.

Asked if Ozil, who completed a £42 million transfer from Real Madrid in August 2013, can become a legend at the Emirates Stadium, Wenger said: “I think so, I think if he commits. Dennis Bergkamp committed for a long period, played until he was 38.

“I wish we have 10 more years of Ozil. That depends. To become a legend at the club you need to stay for a long time.

“I understand that being a legend like Dennis Bergkamp, if you stay two years you would not be a legend.”

The manager, though, confirmed contract talks have yet to be concluded. “We are working on it,” he said.

Ozil’s form this season has reinforced Wenger’s desire to secure the future of a player he believes has matured since his first arrived in England and who is expected to be a prominent figure in Sunday’s north London derby meeting with Tottenham Hotspur. And while Wenger admits the player took time to come to terms with the Premier League, he believes Ozil’s improvement is down to him adding a more clinical edge to his undoubted talent.

“I believe he is at an age he is more mature. He is 28. The difference today is he focuses more on efficiency,” said the manager.

“When he arrived here he was more a player to play, focused on playing. Today efficiency is more in his mind. The main transformation we got from him, he makes more runs in behind to score goals.

“I convinced him that he has it in his locker to score goals. He was more focused on giving and looking. Today he understands that he can have those qualities but as well be on the end of things. You notice all the finishers are killers. That means they keep their nerve in front of goal and he has that.”

But Wenger is anxious to avoid placing too much expectation on the player ahead of the meeting with Spurs.

“Of course he can be dangerous but in big games there is always a lot of expectation from him,” he added.

“But we have not to think that he will do it, we have to produce a team performance. We have plenty of players who can make a difference on the day and not to expect from Ozil to deliver anything special.”