Mesut Ozil is “too good” to have been left out at Arsenal for football reasons, says Paul Merson, with the Gunners accused of trying to force a World Cup winner through the exits.
The German playmaker remains on the books at Emirates Stadium and will not see another transfer window open until January.
It may be that he finally seeks a move in 2021, with there no chance of him seeing competitive minutes prior to that after being omitted from Mikel Arteta’s Europa League and Premier League squads.
The 32-year-old is due to hit free agency next summer anyway, and has regularly stated a desire to honour that agreement, but had been hoping to play his way to a finish.
Ozil is now firmly frozen out, with a stunning saga in north London leaving many baffled.
Merson is among those struggling to see why Arsenal would completely overlook a player of such ability, with the former Gunners star suggesting that ulterior motives may be at play.
“One hundred per cent, I can’t see any other reason,” Merson told Sky Sports.
“I can’t see how it’s football reasons. The lad is too talented, he’s too good.
“I could understand if this was the Invincibles team of 2004, but this is the Arsenal of today. For me, for him not to get a number has to be about more than football.
“People say he doesn’t run around, that’s not his job. His job is to make things happen on the football pitch, and he can make things happen.
“Get people around him that can do that kind of work and when he stops doing that, then you get him out of the time.
“He was in Arteta’s team, he was a mainstay and everything went through him. He’s a special player and it’s a shame we aren’t going to be able to see him play now.”
While Ozil has been left out of Arteta’s plans, leading to his agent asking angry questions of those at the Emirates, the former Germany international is still being allowed to train.
Merson considers that to be the clearest indication yet that a man who has spent seven years on Arsenal’s books has not been rocking the boat and is being harshly treated by those who handed a lucrative contract in January 2018.
“That tells me he isn’t trouble,” Merson added.
“If you haven’t got someone in your squad and they are trouble, they aren’t training with you. If they are allowed to train with the club, with the first team, that isn’t football reasons.”