Arsenal fans have been on edge this season. With the contracts of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil still running down, those talks have been somewhat overshadowed by the 'will he, won't he' nature of Arsene Wenger's own future at the club.

With a two-year deal on the table, Wenger has frequently added to the speculation over what he intends to do by stalling on negotiations, claiming he will make up his mind over the summer.

And with the club's form on the slide, it's all mounting to a very tense and uncertain mess that has the fans up in arms.

On the face of it, it would seem that securing Sanchez to improved terms is the club's priority, but Ozil would be a huge loss to the Gunners even though he hasn't reached the same levels in form as he did last term.

Ozil, over the past few days, has made positive noises about committing his future to the north London club, but it has taken a long time to get to the point where he feels open enough to discuss it.

That said, though, he's still not put pen-to-paper on a contract and everyone is still nervously awaiting updates on the situation.

And Ozil's former national team captain Michael Ballack believes he knows why it's taking the playmaker so long to extend his stay with the Gunners.

According to the former Chelsea midfielder, the 28-year-old is waiting to see what manager Arsene Wenger does first with his future.

"It is difficult to say really (if he should stay at Arsenal)," Ballack said in an interview with Sky Sports.

"A player like him, who has played for Real Madrid and now Arsenal and who knows the Premier League and La Liga, he has his own feeling and experience.

"And there are not many clubs where he can go now and who can afford him. I think he needs to feel comfortable with the decision that he makes.

"But it also depends on what Arsene Wenger does and they have a good relationship and maybe that is why he is waiting a bit."

However, should he remain, he'll have to make strides to ensuring that he produces on a more consistent basis.

All throughout his four-year stint at Arsenal he has been levelled with the criticism that he goes missing too often during big games, but Ballack has told the former Werder Bremen man to brush off the comments and focus on his game.

"What he can improve is mentally how he deals with certain situations, as if he feels comfortable on the pitch, then he is one of the best players in the world," Ballack added.

"But everyone has difficult situations in the game where you get criticism and you have to go through that and deal with it."