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Arsenal let transfer target slip by keeping Mesut Ozil

By Kian Long

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Kieran Trippier of Tottenham Hotspur battles for possession with Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC at Wembley Stadium on March 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Kieran Trippier of Tottenham Hotspur battles for possession with Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC at Wembley Stadium on March 02, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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Will Arsenal live to regret this decision?

Wait wait wait. I’m not going to bore you with the same old ‘Mesut Ozil puts no work in, he needs to be sold’ jibberish. That’s a cliche opinion and one which quite frankly has many faults and imperfections.

Truth is, Mesut Ozil is one of the best midfielders in the world and he has a case to be the world’s best playmaker in the world. However, one thing has let him down this season and guess what? It has nothing to do with his work rate or enthusiasm.

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Ozil has been let down by his manager or at least his manager’s philosophy. Unai Emery has brought an attacking style of football which relies on his full-backs to push forward and utilise the space out wide. This leaves minimal room for central attacking midfielders like Ozil, hence he has been pushed out wide.

Ozil is not a winger. While he could fill in this position for a few matches, over time he would begin to get exposed and that’s not his fault. After all, Ozil has never once claimed to be an excellent winger or that this is his favoured position.

So, am I saying that Emery is in the wrong and he should flip his entire system around to accommodate for one player? No, that’s absolutely not what I’m saying. Either he should give this a try in pre-season, or he should sell Mesut Ozil. There would be no shade since neither party is in the wrong/didn’t try hard enough.

However, this cannot be achieved anymore. According to The Sun, the Gunners are no longer able to offload Mesut Ozil, so he will remain an Arsenal player in the new season. This means that they will not be able to sign Nabil Fekir from Lyon.

It’s a shame too. Fekir is exactly the player Arsenal is looking for. While, like Ozil, he is best utilised through the middle, he is a lot more capable to provide balls from out wide, unlike Ozil. It could have been a win-win replacement and would have added more versatility to the Gunners frontline.

Mesut Ozil played a small part in Arsenal’s pre-season friendly recently with the Colorado Rapids. While this is by no means the be-all or end-all, it’s nice to see that Unai Emery is finding ways to use the German playmaker, despite all the uncertainty surrounding his future.

Next. Five reasons why Dani Alves must choose Arsenal over Spurs. dark

Do you think Mesut Ozil will have a good season in 2019/20?

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