It has been a long time since Mesut Ozil last played a League game for Arsenal, with many weird and wonderful rumours and suggestions for his absence, but other than Emery saying he had ‘backache’ and not knowing where the German midfielder was on a matchday, we have had very little real information from inside the Arsenal camp.
But now our old captain Per Mertesacker, who now manages the youth teams, has given a very interesting quote on Ozil’s current status. He was quoted as saying in the Express: “Mesut is a player with magical abilities,”
“Last time (for the 1-0 won at home to Huddersfield on December 8) he was injured.
“Now I’m curious how he fights back. He can still be very valuable to Arsenal.”
Isn’t that a very curious thing to say about his much-heralded countryman? “Now I’m curious how he fights back. He can still be very valuable to Arsenal.” Why would he say that? Ozil is our highest paid player and a world-renowned superstar. Why WOULDN’T he fight back? Why would he NOT still be very valuable to the club?
Do you think that it a very strange thing to say? I certainly do!
Darren N
Hear we go again with this ozil bashing right Sue.
Got nowt else to talk about LENOhappy ?
Instead of bashing our players, admin can publish positive articles like the koscielny documentary
Glad you watched it, excellent documentary!
I wouldn’t read too much into it
It’s obvious that Emery treats him like the other players now. Gone are the days when Ozil’s first team place is guaranteed and Ozil seems to dislike it, shown by his gloomy face when Emery withdrew him in the second half
If Mertesacker is correct with Ozil’s magical abilities, Ozil should be able to regain his position and dominate the midfield in the next games
But I believe Arsenal would take any good offer for him, if there is real interest from another club in January
@Gotanidea, you have no idea here. Should Unai be like Morinho who doesn’t help his players when they have dip in their form or like Pep who picked Sterling from the dust bin?
People was asking questions about Kos after his long injury. It wasn’t strange when people asked if he would walk into the lineup or have to fight for his spot and maybe not be in Emery plans.
Nobody cared as we all kinda know that every player has to earn their spot.
Ozil though… any suggestion that he has to do the same as every other player and please the boss then it is different?
Well Ozil earns 350K a week so its unlikely the board will stand by and watch him waste away on the bench. There will certainly be pressure on Emery to bring him back into the team faster than anybody else.
we make more money by qualifying for CL than we lose by not playing Ozil if he doesn’t add value to performances which is not a given with him. We have had some of our best results without him.
I don’t get the feeling the board or anyone for that matter tells Emery who play and who to bench.
How is money lost by not playing Ozil?
Does anyone seriously think the board can influence who Emery picks?
The opportunity cost of paying monstrous wages to a player that doesn’t play. That money could have been invested in someone or something more productive. Besides, Ozil’s physical performances on the pitch are not the only thing that make him an asset to the club, the board will want him to remain relevant for other commercial reasons like shirt sales.
I believe Emery will pick who he feels is best for his tactics, he has a game plan and he has roles which need to be performed, if Ozil can’t do the role then he will not play.
I don’t think Raul will tell Emery he has to play Ozil.
I honestly do not think Ozil is a Emery style of player, while I fully back him and I have supported him the best I can, I do think he has a level of strictness which hinders the flair of players like Ozil and Mkhi. Their flair isn’t something managers can easily plan for in tactics that have been developed due to the level of detail used… Ozil flair can throw things up in the air.
Not moaning about Emery, just recognising a difference and I hope the board will also recognise this and support Emery in building the team he envisions.
Oh and Raul wasn’t the one who gave Ozil the wage, Gazidis was the man and he ran off, Raul has no obligation to pressure Emery to prove Ozil earns his wage. It is another thing Raul and Co can say they are better at to please Silent Stan, they are not wasting the clubs wealth, it was Gazidis.
Well said! Gazidis was a charletan in my view and running off to Milan whan he did for more money and more say, shows exactly the snake he was. Our club has now been cleansed of all bad things, save only Kroenke and the puppet board. I dread to think how many millions GAZIDIS WASTED BY HIS SHEER INCOMPETENCE!
I reckon it was us that got shot of Gazidas. Like the way we let Wenger leave amicably. Gazidas only last year got onto the European board, sitting in with the biggest European meetings. He gained allot of power and respect from being Arsenal’s helmsman. It doesn’t look like a wise choice to make unless you have to make it, and I reckon he had to make a choice. Raul’s CV is just too illustrious for himself to be brought in as Gazidas’s right hand man. We done Gazidas a solid by letting him announce his intentions, but we brought in his replacement first.
@Midkemma
Yes, Raul may not have been the one that directly issued that ridiculous contract to Ozil but am pretty sure the board had to okay a contract that is worth over £50M. Am certainly sure Kroenke, who sits on the board, will not be pleased if such an investment is left to waste on the sidelines. In fact, maybe Ozil is one of the reason why Kroenke is hesitant to make big investments in the club. They certainly don’t always work out as we have all seen.
I certainly don’t think the board has any influence over who plays in the team and quite right too. Ozil gets paid whether he’s in team or on the bench so what does it matter to the board anyway.
@Ethio goner,I believe the admin of this site make it very clear that anyone who have an article about arsenal should send it to him/them,so if you have a better article then send it to him/them instead of condemning someone who is trying to..
Darren N, My missus asked me if I wanted a cup of tea and I thought that far MORE curious than the non curious comment Bould made and on which you have chosen to construct another of your regular non story articles. When will you ever learn? You are becoming a laughing stock trying to make articles out of nothing at all. Either write about something worthwhile and sensible OR don’t write at all!!!
Asking an English gentleman if he wants tea is strange, who says no to another cuppa? Strange folk say no o.O lol.
And the strange folk find niceties, very curious.
OT
Anyone heard Sutton say Torreira isn’t the signing of the season and Savage was wrong to suggest Torreira because Torreira missed our first two games?
According to it, Allison is the signing of the season even though he has the EPL most expensive CB in front of him. That muppet Sutton has no clue about football, thinks he can comment about internationals and their fitness when he has only played 1 international in all his career… Jenks has matched that.
Shocking.
What a twat Chris Sutton is & always has been
I am very much looking forward to YOUR article.Its very easy to criticise so let’s see what YOU have to write as a topic headline.
@Admin
How is this article making FP? This is lazy journalism and should be vetoed ?
And so should this comment! Please extrapolate…..
Face facts Mr. Admin , this so called article is a disgrace , says nothing and should not be on a proper site. As I said many months ago to you, you rush through far too many threads and sacrifice quality for quantity. The previous topic to this one has only attracted three comments and most of the comments on this thread refer to the poor article -or try to defend it- neither of which mean much to fans of ARSENAL, the reason we are on here.
So send me something interesting to post then? I try my best whatever and wherever I am. You can’t please all the people……..
Im glad Emery doesn’t kiss up to players or reward poor performances
he doesnt care about their Salaries or Name.. He treats his players the same and wont hesitate to drop them
That’s what makes our youth prospects look so interesting, it shouldn’t be too long before we see Smithy rack up some game-time. Nelson too if he can replicate his form, and keep his form going in Germany. Zech Medley has gotten a call up today, all six foot five of him, interested to see how this one goes.
Sigh, nothing much to say about Ozil, what am worried about is Tottenham. I just watched them force a winner in what wads a seemingly frustrating draw. They keep winning no matter what and I have to say they are certainly going to be a huge stumbling block on our path back to the champions league. Chelsea looks solid as well man I wish I could see the future and tell where we will end up in May.
Maybe Jon will read his tea leaves ?
Sorry Sue. We but we are ultra modern and cutting edge in our house and use those new fangled inventions called TEA BAGS!
?
jon and Sue, I save $4.50 per cup buying cappucino in packet.
Oh, now I see! Sutton is Merson’s siamese twin! They share the same brain. Always playing the fool, always will.
Arsenal keep marching on meanwhile.
Emery picks players specially for game…,,,we have to stop reading into why a player is not in the team …,,,…his role is to select the best team possible for each game…….and make the required changes in the game……
Mert likely isn’t talking about actual fighting, to win possession or to stop opponents. He’s talking about doing the business, if you are a striker, it’s goals. If you are a keeper, it’s blocks. In Mesut’s case, it’s firepower, ammunition.