Exclusive: Arsenal squad split over Mesut Ozil return as senior group of players back...

[ASFN Admin]

Arsenal's players are divided over whether Mesut Ozil should be recalled to their squad next month to turn their disastrous season around. Mikel Arteta's side pulled off a shock 3-1 victory over Chelsea without Ozil. The former Germany midfielder, 32, was left out of Arteta’s 25-man pool of players for Premier League and Europa League matches but can be reinstated after the January transfer window when squads are updated. His omission is understood to be one of the major factors behind the divisions in Arteta’s squad reported by Telegraph Sport earlier this month, with Ozil having the support of a group of senior players in the dressing room. Arteta recently left the door open for a return when he stated “we have time to decide” on Ozil’s future in the final six months of his contract. He has until the end of the season on his £350,000-a-week contract and has no intention of leaving the Emirates Stadium early. Keep or sell? Which Arsenal players should stay and which should go? When he left out Ozil from the Premier League plans, Arteta insisted he had treated the former Real Madrid fairly but also suggested he had “failed” him by not getting the best out of the player who arrived as a club record signing for £42.5million seven years ago. Arteta's team have struggled in the Premier League during the last few months, then were knocked out of the Carabao Cup last week.

Continue reading...