Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal's style of play does more to attract players than the fact that he's the manager of the club.
Wenger was given a big vote of confidence this week by Mesut Ozil, who talked up the Frenchman as one of the main reasons for being at Arsenal and said he wanted clarity over the manager's future plans before deciding whether to sign a long-term extension with the Gunners.
And while Wenger acknowledged that while he's one of the factors who could attract a player to Arsenal -- "despite my wrinkles, yes" -- he said the Gunners' appeal goes beyond himself.
"Most of the time it is the reputation of a club, the kind of football the players feel they will play if they come in," Wenger said. "It's not my person."
Ozil's comments, in the German magazine kicker, still highlighted how crucial Wenger's own decision about whether to stay on past this season will be for the club. Wenger's contract expires this summer, while Ozil and Alexis Sanchez both have 18 months left on their current deals.
But Wenger also insisted that hearing a world-class player sing his praises like that would not affect his own ego.
"I'm humble enough now at my age to put that a little bit into perspective," Wenger said. "But I think I have the experience as well to see where I can contribute a little bit [to a player's development]. But 99 percent is from the player. How much does he want it, how much is he ready to put the effort in to get better? And football sometimes, yes, can make you a bit comfortable. And we are here to help them get to their best."
And when it comes to Ozil, Wenger said there is still room for the German to raise the bar even higher.
"What you want of him is to score goals. We all feel certainly that there is still a gap there between what he can do [and what he produces]," Wenger said. "I think he is moving the right way. But from such a talent, maybe you are a bit unjust as well, because you always´want more. Because you feel there is no limitation to his game, so you are always there [saying] 'Come on, give us more.' Because you have always a feeling that they can do more."
Ozil is set to return for Saturday's Premier League game at Swansea after missing a couple of weeks with flu, giving the Gunners a boost as they try to claw back an eight-point gap to leaders Chelsea. His performances so far seem unaffected by his contract standoff, with the playmaker having netted nine goals so far this season.
And Wenger himself also insisted he is "very relaxed" about the contract situations, both concerning his star duo and himself. And outwardly, at least, he's not showing any signs of concern.
But, he added, perhaps that only proves his old foe Alex Ferguson right about something he said after Wenger struck a hard bargain when selling Robin van Persie to Manchester United in 2012.
"Ferguson said I would be a good poker player," Wenger said with a smile. "Maybe he was right."