Thierry Henry has admitted that he is "desperate" for Mesut Ozil to stay at Arsenal for the long term and has urged the midfielder to "become a legend" in North London.

The Germany international, into the final 18 months of his contract, is still mulling over his future after so far failing to agree on fresh terms at the Emirates Stadium.

Ozil recently made it clear that he will wait for manager Arsene Wenger to himself commit before coming to a decision over his own future, but Henry - who himself wrote his name in Gunners' folklore during eight years with the club - believes that there is only one option to take.

"He has said he wants to know if Arsene is staying beyond the summer," Henry told The Sun. "I'm an Arsenal fan. For that reason I'm desperate for him to stay. But I understand his predicament. I was in the same situation in 2007 when I joined Barcelona - with a heavy heart. I didn't know Arsene's plans, either, as he was coming to the end of a contract then, too.

"People will say it is all about money for Mesut and that Wenger's contract is a smokescreen. We don't know. We have to trust what he says. Respect it. Mesut has won the World Cup with Germany. But at club level, he has only one title, with Real Madrid in 2012. He will be desperate for more.

"But he can do that at the Emirates. That is why I would urge him to stay and become an Arsenal legend. Win that first title. Be the future of Arsenal. Not just the assist man, but the guy who drives the team forward. He can do that with Alexis Sanchez. They have to be at the top of their game every single match. They can be those guys. They must believe it."

Ozil hit out at Henry earlier this month after being accused of taking too long to sign a new contract with Arsenal.