Mesut Ozil has not featured in any game since the restart (Getty Images)
Arsenal attacking playmaker Mesut Ozil was all set to make a return to action as football returned in England. However, the player neither started the game nor was named on the bench as the Gunners lost the game to Manchester City.
Ozil was once regarded as a great asset to the Arsenal Football Club. But he has, over the years, fallen down the pecking order. Now ESPN suggest he could be on his way out despite being keen on running down his contract.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta called the exclusion of the playmaker as “purely tactical”. But the club will see a huge burden of spending big on a player who hasn’t often made it to the playing XI this season.
Once regarded as one of the best creative players in Europe, the former German international has made only 23 appearances across all competitions this season and has just scored once. The player who was once regarded as the assist king, has been in rather poor form, providing only 3 assists this season.
The Arsenal playmaker earlier refused to take a pay cut on his £350,000-a-week wages. However, the rest of the team along with the manager agreed to a 12.5% pay cut over the next 12 months.
Mesut Ozil is a brilliant player with great vision and movement. He has put in some wonderful performances since joining the club and is definitely a fan favourite. However, in recent times, the playmaker’s performance has gone down and the player often goes missing when people expect the most from him.
For Arsenal, offloading the player is good, as he has barely been involved or contributed to the side. Moreover, his refusal to take a wage cut adds to the financial stress the club would face due to the pandemic.
For the Gunners, it would also make sense to sell the player before his contract runs down. The playmaker, who was a great influence on the field, has now become a player with no consistency.
Ozil’s performance hit the lowest point under Unai Emery, as the player fell out of favour with the coach and wasn’t able to adapt to the former coach’s style of play. The German midfielder though, has started every game (except the one against City) under new manager Mikel Arteta.
But going forward, the club would be required to make financial decisions and perhaps offloading the high-earning Mesut Ozil could ease the club’s burden.
No doubt there is quality in Ozil but the playmaker’s attitude on and off the pitch has caused a lot of concerns. It is best for Arsenal to offload the £350,000-a-week star who hasn’t had any positive effect in recent times.
