Arsenal have suddenly become the villains in some people’s eyes after they named their 25-man Premier League squad. Mikel Arteta has decided to leave Mesut Ozil out and that has angered some Gunners fans.
The former Real Madrid man was a regular under the Arsenal boss when he took over last season. However, things changed during lockdown and Ozil hasn’t played a single minute of football for the club since Project Restart.
It is no secret Arsenal want him to leave the club. However, Ozil has remained adamant he will see out his contract and has reportedly rejected offers from the Middle East (Fabrizio Romano – Here We Go Podcast).
Despite Ozil’s commitment to the club, Arteta chose to leave him out and that frustrated the German. He expressed his disappointment on Twitter and his other social channels earlier this week. The Arsenal man has surprisingly received multiple messages of support from fans, pundits and former teammates.
Gary Lineker labelled Ozil’s lack of playing time as ‘soul destroying’ and his message was supported by former Arsenal star Jack Wilshere, who has claimed that the German is Arsenal’s best player.
Wilshere shared the dressing room with Ozil during his time at the Emirates. The Englishman knows first-hand what the former Real Madrid star is capable of. But it seems his footballing ability isn’t the reason behind his omission.
Ozil has claimed that the omission hasn’t changed his mindset. He says that he will continue training hard and will fight for a spot in Arteta’s squad, but the chances of him playing for Arsenal again are very slim.
Leaving Arsenal might just be the best move for Ozil at the moment. The way he has been treated is a shame, but playing football is what he does best and that will not happen at Arsenal under Arteta.
If he does leave, Ozil will end his Arsenal career with 44 goals and 77 assists in 254 appearances. He helped the club end their trophy drought in his debut season and, irrespective how it ends, he will go down as one of the most graceful players to ever play for the Gunners.
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