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'I Tried My Best' - Arsenal Boss Arteta Believes He Did All He Could To Include Axed Ozil


The 32-year-old did not feature for the Gunners after lockdown and was subsequently omitted from the club's 25-man Premier League squad.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta believes he did all he could to give Mesut Ozil a fair shot before he axed the German from his squad. 

Ozil's name was not among Arsenal's 25-man Premier League squad that was released earlier this month, which followed the playmaker's exclusion from Arsenal's Europa League squad.

As the 32-year-old enters the final months of his contract with the Gunners, it now appears likely that he has played his final game for the team.

Ozil did play a part for Arsenal last season, at one point starting 10 consecutive Premier League games for the Gunners before the coronavirus lockdown in March.

The playmaker did not make a single appearance for Arsenal after lockdown, however, but Arteta has still insisted he gave Ozil every chance to impress before he was omitted from his team.

"What I can tell you that I tried my best, I tried to give him as many opportunities as I could," Arteta told Sky Sports.

"And that from my own side, I’ve been patient, given him opportunities and been fair.

"He’s a player that belongs to a football club, he’s been a really important player in the last few seasons. I have to respect that, I’m here to make decisions, the best decisions for the team and for the club.

"This is what I try to do and then I have to explain them because people need the reasons and the right answers. I just give mine, whether they believe me or agree with me or not, there’s nothing I can do.

"But I have to put my decisions, with my heart and with my brain to make the right decisions that I believe are good.

Ozil hit out at Arteta and the Gunners after he was left out of the team, saying "loyalty is hard to come by" in a post on social media.

"This is a difficult message to write to the Arsenal fans that I've played for over the past few years. I'm really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being," Ozil said on Twitter and Instagram.

"Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated. As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays.


 

Comments

  1. It's not fere. Ozil has real helped to build the team .please Mr Arteta think again on how you can help him come back .we as fans we real need him in the squad .Am a fan from Kenya mombassa

    ReplyDelete

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