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Arsenal have been urged to ‘get rid’ of midfield misfit Mesut Ozil in the January transfer window, even if it means paying to get him out of the club.
Gunners fan and former Premier League goal machine Kevin Phillips believes the club need to move on without the German, whose career at the Emirates Stadium looks to be coming to an unglamorous end.
Arsenal have a big problem on their hands with regard to the German ace. The 31-year-old is contracted until 2021 on his current £350,000-a-week wages, but it appears clear manager Unai Emery does not want to play him.
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Ozil is a shadow of the player he once was for Arsenal and has started just two games this season – once in the Premier League and once in the Carabao Cup. He has been snubbed for Arsenal’s last three matches, with Emery favouring youngsters Matteo Guendouzi, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in midfield ahead of the experienced star.
The former Germany international has been criticised for a lack of fight to regain his starting spot for the Gunners, despite being given a number of chances to impress by Emery and even being handed the captain’s armband on occasion in a bid to get performances out of him.
He has continued to frustrate his manager and supporters, however, and Phillips believes his time is up at the north London club.
“For me, he goes – get rid,” the former striker told talkSPORT hosts Jim White and Natalie Sawyer.
“He’s on £350,000-a-week and when you’ve got a player like Mesut Ozil you want him to turn up every week, run around and give it his best.
“We all know on his day he’s one of the world’s best players, but we very rarely see it.
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“It’s amazing we’re talking about Mesut Ozil in this kind of way, because has been a truly world-class player and I’m sure Unai Emery has tried to get the best out of him, but he’s probably given up now. He’d probably rather work with someone else who wants to play for Arsenal and get the best out of them.
“So if I’m an Arsenal player, and as an Arsenal supporter, I’d like to see him leave the club, move on, play for someone else, release the money and then we can invest it in two or three players who can perhaps progress Arsenal.
“They’ve done well this season and you don’t need players around your squad who are not going to turn up, it’s as simple as that.
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“I was at the Watford vs Arsenal game [where the Gunners blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with the Premier League’s basement team]. Arsenal kicked off, the ball went back to Mesut Ozil and he was so lackadaisical, he was so sloppy, I could tell straight away what kind of mood he was in that day. He drifted in and out of the game and he wasn’t pressing like the other players were.
“It’s tough getting rid of a players on big contracts and on a lot of money, but I would try my hardest to get him out of the door in January or at the end of the season, whether that’s on loan or sell him permanently, because I think that would help Arsenal move forward.”
Listen back to a clip of Kevin Phillips on talkSPORT above
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