In a recent report, The Daily Star has stated that Arsenal are hoping to offload Mesut Ozil in January as he is not a part of Mikel Arteta’s Premier League plans for this campaign. The German midfielder is a subject of interest from Major League Soccer outfit DC United with the player’s current contract set to run out at the end of this season (via The Daily Star).
Ozil’s Career Is Going Nowhere At The Emirates Stadium
Ozil is currently earning £350,000-a-week but has not featured for the Gunners since March. His low work-rate has made him a liability on the field, so much so, that Arteta has often preferred to leave him out of his match-day squads during this calendar year.
The Gelsenkirchen-born playmaker is sidelined with a back injury, but no one seems to be missing him at Arsenal right now which is ridiculous as he is still the highest earner in the club’s history. The 33-year-old made 23 appearances for the North London outfit in the previous campaign, netting one goal and providing three assists across various competitions.
Ozil struggled to find consistency with his all-around contributions in the offensive end of the field after averaging 0.5 shots, 2.1 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2019-20 Premier League season. However, he deserves some credit for distributing the ball with accuracy as he made 88.3% of his attempted passes in the English top tier last season (stats via whoscored).
What Does The German Midfielder Offer On The Pitch?
At 33, father time is catching up with Ozil, but he can still be a brilliant playmaker as he has got the vision and passing ability to create a lot of scoring chances for his teammates. The 92-time German international has got a wide range of passes in his locker and can even be a decent dribbler with the ball at his feet.
However, there is no denying that Ozil has struggled to discover consistency in terms of his performances in the attacking third. Furthermore, his lack of mobility makes him a burden on the field, especially in Arteta’s style of high-intensity football in North London.
Why Arteta Needs To Ship Ozil Out In January
At the moment, Ozil is taking up a lot of room in Arsenal’s wage bill, which is why it is essential that the Gunners get him off their books as soon as possible. Maybe Arteta would be wise to come to a mutual agreement with the German midfield ace so that he can part ways with the Londoners permanently when the transfer window reopens in January.
The reigning FA Cup champions could even use the cap space left from Ozil’s departure to bring in a few more players so that they have a strong squad capable of challenging for some major trophies in the years to come.
