Thousands of Arsenal fans took to social media to voice their support for Mesut Ozil, after it was revealed that he had been left out of Mikel Arteta's 25-man Premier League squad. Ozil has been completely frozen out of the team by manager Arteta and has not played a minute of football for the Gunners since a Premier League fixture against West Ham back in March. Why has the highest earning player on £350,000 a week been continuously left out of the squad?
Mikel Arteta has maintained that the reason for Ozil’s exclusion has been strictly down to footballing reasons, stating that he had given Ozil “many opportunities” to nail down a spot in the starting eleven. However, many fans believe that something else is going on behind the scenes, namely to do with China. It is no secret that Ozil has been a vocal critic of China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims. WIth many commercial opportunities for Arsenal lying in China, fans believe his exclusion from the squad has been an effort to silence him.
Ozil’s exclusion from the squad has also highlighted a key weakness in Arsenal’s squad, the lack of creative midfielder. This season, Arsenal have only managed a mere 1.33 goals per game in the Premier League, creating only 7 big chances in 6 games, and the players with the most assists being Hector Bellerin and Willian, both on 2. The failure to secure the signing of Lyon star Houssem Aouar in the last transfer window has left fans even more confused as to why Ozil has been exiled, as he is renowned for his playmaking abilities.
The future remains uncertain for Ozil, with everyone left wondering what direction his career will go. One thing is certain, his time at Arsenal has come to an end.
