Martin Keown thinks Arsene Wenger is keeping Mesut Ozil away from Arsenal’s younger players because the German has ‘downed tools’ ahead of an Arsenal exit.
The World Cup winner has been struggling with a knee problem and has only managed a short cameo against West Bromwich Albion in the last month. The 28-year-old had been expected to travel to Belarus for the Europa League game with BATE Borisov, but Keown now claims the midfielder didn’t fancy it and was subsequently left at home.
Ozil is out of contract next summer and is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs in January; it’s a situation Keown thinks is taking a toll on the player’s relationship with Wenger.
“I think he’s testing Wenger more than any other player has,” Keown told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I think it was Belarus the other week, he didn’t fancy going. He didn’t want to go.
“Suddenly he was injured again, he played nine minutes against West Bromwich Albion on the Monday, so how did he get injured there?
“I think in some departments he’s already left. Psychologically, mentally, he’s already left the football club. Maybe Wenger is now trying to do the best deal he can to get some compensation for him.”
Having been appalling in the 4-0 defeat to Anfield, Ozil missed the much-improved 0-0 draw away at Chelsea, a game that saw Alex Iwobi handed the keys to the number 10 position. Keown thinks the decision may well pay dividends in the long-term.
“I think he doesn’t want that sort of player [Ozil] around the youngsters in the group.
“They played exceptionally well at Chelsea, where [Alex] Iwobi did a really manful job – I know he hasn’t got the talent of Ozil, of course, but suddenly Arsenal could compete in both departments defensively and attacking -wise. It was probably the best performance I’ve seen in a couple of years.
“I was really impressed and it seemed like every player was giving their best. Sanchez is different. He loves playing football, just give him a ball and he’ll play and that’s all he wants to do.
“But Ozil, I think he’s downed tools, he wants to go and it’s going to get messy.”
He was my 8 year old sons favourite player. If all this Man U stuff is for real özil will become a swear word in our house.
Why? Because the player wants to live his life? Because he’s fed up to bear all the reproaches for his team? Because nobody sees that Chamberlain was the problem of the start of the season and not him?
Because we always believed in him, we ignored the criticism and defended him even though he often did go missing and we paid a fortune for kits with his name on it. If Mourinho wanted him so badly why didn’t he bid in the transfer window as someone said on here a while ago him and Sanchez were dancing in the shop window all summer.
No, because if you are going break up, at the very least be gentle about it. Stop burning the house down with no-shows and ambiguity. And for fuck sake, don’t leave for the rich jock who’s direct competition.
He should at least remain professional. He is getting well paid and Arsenal spent a lot of money to bring him in. A little gratitude and endeavour is not too much to ask
Odd that the player who has downed tools (allegedly) is a player who there was literally no interest for whatsoever all summer. I didn’t see as much as a whisper of a rumour before these Man Utd ones a few weeks back. If he has, which I actually find kind of hard to believe, he needs to realise that he’s not really got the pull anymore to be making demands as no one really wants a soft number ten with a penchant for going missing for 90 mins at a time.
Ozil is a player that wrongfully takes a lot of criticism from our fan base and ts all derived from the huge anti Arsenal media heads that constantly slam our club in the press. Its got to the extent where there is so much anti Arsenal stuff out there that its poisoned the minds of other pundits who are actual Arsenal fans. Mesut Ozil is a world class footballer. His stats prove that. He is pound for pound the best number 10 in the world. Since he’s been in the Premier League no other play has racked up more assists… Read more »
Almost every Gooner I know thinks all football pundits are morons & yet almost every one of them is (to different extents) disillusioned with Ozil. Is it that for you to believe that some Gooners just aren’t that enamoured with him because of what they see him do in the games themselves ? This ‘blinded by the media’ argument is just as offensive as calling someone ‘AKB’ you know…
The main problem with Mesut is that, in this country at least, having one exceptional attribute just doesn’t cut the mustard. Nowadays ACM are expected to defend well, wing backs have to cross the ball and beat players and CB’s have to be great passers and have good vision. Ozil is just a very, very good passer and although at times he is so beautiful to watch, having an all rounder like Iwobi has been noticeably more effective. There’s just no room in an XI for a player who can’t do so many things.
@Kwame Ampadu Down Yes. I do think that due to the sheer volume of anti Arsenal press out there it, subsequently it has soaked into a vast majority of Arsenal fans. Not because I think people are stupid – far from it. I think its solely down to the fact that all people listen to and read about and watch on Tv. Is a load totally biased opinions and content from the mouths of washed up former players, who played for rival clubs and never got anywhere near the level of Mesut Ozil, not for club nor country. They played… Read more »
“It was exactly the same when Cesc Fabregas used to play for us, even though he was an absolute baller, and he used to win games on his own for us, the media constantly threw him under the bus, saying he was weak, not good enough, too young to be captain.. bla bla I could go on.” What? I don’t remember the media bashing Fabregas… As an aside, Ozil’s game is obviously better suited to the more technical style of international football, rather than the Premier League. If he’s the best 10 in the world, why did literally nobody put… Read more »
@catbiscuits
You don’t remember the media bashing Fabregas? It used to happen all the time.
Why would you bid for a player that you can get for free? In a time of huge transfer fee’s that would make zero sense.
Best number 10 in the world is a really bold claim. I’d maybe refine it to:
‘Best player in the world who can only function in a number 10 position’.
I can think of plenty of players who could come into our team and play as a number 10 and be much, much better than Ozil. Very hard not to look at that City team and see quite a few.
Name me one that is more creative and functions better than Ozil
One player in the world that’s more creative than Ozil? Erm, Lionel Messi and Neymar for starters…
Messi is a striker or a wide forward. He’s a goal scorer. Not a number 10. The same goes for Neymar.
Coutinio, debruyne, rues, asensio for a young one and heck even lemar. I’d take these guys, they may not be quite as “creative” but they do a bit more then pick out a pass. I’d consider taking 5 less assists a season for five more goals and or a player whom defends.
Eden Hazard, Kevin DeBruyne, Coutinho, Isco, Alexis (all more flexible to play in other positions, but all I would rather play instead of him.
@Bill and @BromleyGooner
Mesut has more assists then all of those players.
Hazard is like Alexis and is predominately a wide forward / goal scorer. The same goes for Reus, De Bruyne
You’re actually mental if you’d rather have Coutinho over Mesut Ozil. They’re not even on the same planet.
Isco cant even get off the bench at Madrid.
Isco has started all but one game this season for Real Madrid so clearly you’re talking out your ass! Apart from that who says no. 10 are judged by number of assists? Most great no. 10 also scored a lot of goals. Judging no. 10 on assists only is obviously giving him an advantage over others. Great no 10s. Maradona, Messi, Ronaldinho, Baggio, Totti, Zico, Pele’, Platini scored AND created assists and were complete footballers. Ozil is not a better no. 10 than Alexis and Hazard just because he gets more assists. Hazard and Alexis play wide forward (even Ozil… Read more »
In fact his biggest offensive weakness compared to all the other no.10s mentioned are that his dribbling skills in medium or long spaces is very poor. He doesn’t run past players which is why he HAS to play no. 10. As a wide forward he would be ineffective.
De bruyne is a ten without doubt
De Bruyne, for starters
best number 10 in the world only if we have 99% possession. Otherwise, he’s pretty useless. You don’t win with players like this. He never tracks back and doesn’t do anything to help us win back the ball. Not sure why Mourinho would want him.
Move him on. Not worth the money.
So how have Germany been one of the most successful national teams ever? Ozil has started near enough every game in all their successes. Since arriving at Arsenal he instantly brought the trophies back. 10 years before he arrived: 0.
Seriously, stop the anti-Ozil BS. He is one of, if not, the best #10 in world football. Stop listening to Cundy, TalkShi#e, and all the other commercial garbage and prehistoric ex pros. All of whom have not been successful in football management.
Functions better at what?
And your question is kinda loaded. “Name me a more creative individual” is tough, possibly nobody. But football, especially modern football, is more than just creativity.
Could I name you a more creative midfielder? Maybe not. But I can name you better goal scorers and better players who posses more of what Ozil DOESN’T have, who’s overall sum brings more to the team than just creativity.
De bruyne, William, mata, silva, even sterling show a bit of fight. Play iwobi other ozil any day.
Would you stop willian,sterling.ill give you de bruyne though class act.
De Bruyne
i name you one from arsenal: Santi Cazorla
Thank you. Cazorla was more influential for us than Ozil will ever dream to be. His position was actually sacrificed for our Primadonna
Couldnt agree more when cozarlo is in the the team he keeps everything ticking and we look a way more balanced side.
That Kevin fella at city isn’t too shabby. I think I’d rather have him in our side.
I do agree with this – But, I think if Wenger has signed the right players to play behind him then Ozil would have been far more effective than he has been. If he’d been playing ahead of Kante and matic then the rhetoric about Ozil not being able to defend would not exist. The fact is that we are such a disaster defensively (down to aw inability to sign a defensive midfielder for 10 years – lest alone 2) that people look for scapegoats
The thing is….3 players who can defend (and attack) will always be better than 3 players of which 2 defend and one attacks. The sum will always be greater than its parts.
Err, chelsea seemed to do okay with this formula last season?!
You’re right, let’s forget what the champs do and keep on pressing for 5th spot!
Meh. Sounds like parking the bus to me.
He isn’t played as a number 10 for Germany.
Thats nonsense because all of those players who you are thinking of, Ozil has more assist than them. And the primary role of the number 10 position is to the pass the ball to the goal scorer. That’s your job. And that’s what Ozil does better than anyone in the league.
I think it’s unfair to just write off the opinions of fans who see him every week as being the work of the media. I don’t buy the papers, i don’t need anyone to tell me what to think of him and I have still been left feeling disappointed by him overall. I think he can be a fantastic player, he has a superb eye for a pass and his ability to find space on the pitch is as a good as anyone’s. He runs far more yards then people give him credit for and we all know that he… Read more »
Most often than not I prefer reading comments than comment on the blog. You’re quite spot on Ozil. Just like Ballack once said he’s not psychologically strong. He moves with the trend of the game. He’s no game changer, but ll perform exceptionally well when his team is playing well.
In summary, Ozil needs to man up and step up to the plate and stop behaving like “aje butter (Nigerian colloquial from the Yorubas).
Ozil has been weakened by the low quality players around him. Exposed by them. That doesn’t take away from his immense talent. He was, basically, wasted at arsenal. Just like Sanchez.
I think ozil is great footballer.his problem is hes a pussy and gets man handled off the ball to easy.
He’s definitely not the best 10 in the world, he’s not even the best 10 in the prem. As Jacob said, maybe the best player that can only play 10 in the league, but that’s damning with faint praise if I’ve ever heard it.
He’s not even the best number 10 at our club. A fully fit jack wilshere (I know..) is a better player for us than ozil.
I.d take Jack, Aaron or Iwobi at 10 ahead of him. Defending starts at the front and Ozil is a total pussy who ducks out of challlenges and gets pushed off the ball. Wenger has indulged him for far too long in the hope he would come good but he nwver has really. Time to leave on the bench or out of the squad entirely. Should have been forced to move on this summer
Ramsey for sure. Get someone else to partner Xhaka.
Also disagree with this argument that “oh he plays for Germany, therefore…etc”. Take one decent look at Germany’s options at 10: Draxler who plays mostly on the wing (and doesn’t start for his club), Reus who’s forever injured, Gotze who’s forever injured and out of form, Muller who’s very much out of form but starts a lot on the wing or up front anyway, Kroos who starts in CM, Sane at a real stretch but obviously more of a winger. I don’t think Low has much of a choice other than to play Ozil, whether he’s in form or not,… Read more »
but hey, you dont really need a number 10 in your team to play proper football. Ref Real / Barcelona / PSG, which all run a 4-1-2-3 type of setup without any no 10.
Low doesn’t play Ozil as 10 because his other options are shit. he plays with a no 10 because he has Ozil.
Real ended last season with Isco more or less at 10 but point taken. You obv don’t need to play a 10 and in fact 10s have gone a little out of fashion in Europe which could explain the lack of interest in a player like Ozil. Actually Low played a 433 at WC 2014 with Ozil on the wing, though Ozil has made it clear he prefers to be in the middle at Arsenal. But I think it’s a little presumptuous to say Low plays a 10 because he has Ozil without considering loads of other potential factors including… Read more »
I believe we have so many problems that its hard to distinguish the firm line between them. Is it Ozils fault? Is it Wenger who is not using him and supporting him? Is it Kroenke who is just stealing legally our money? Is it the squad? Is it the lack of ambition? Is it the lack of motivation? Is it the refs who always allow teams to knock us down? I can’t tell anymore…
After a steady stream of Keown punditry doubting Per Mertesacker’s ability to still play high-level football, Mertesacker greets Keown in the tunnel after winning the FA Cup: “Don’t write me off, Martin.”
(It should be called the “Mertesacker final” says the newly-aware Keown.)
I wish Keown would down tools.
What is Keown hoping to achieve with putting these comments out in public?
Maybe nothing? Maybe it is just pissing him off. It pisses me off
“Best number ten in the world” er Lionel Messi is a number ten! ???
I dont think Jose wants him. I mean Ozil plays in Manutd? Come on
Yup, would be shite if he joined the mancs. But this is such an unnecessary thing to say from Keown. Maybe he knows more than we do, but we had a terrible start to the season and we are on the way to turning it around. If Ozil and Alexis are going to leave, fair enough. But we are Arsenal and more than two players. Ozil was awful against Liverpool, but no worse than anybody else and has barely played since. A fit and committed Ozil is an advantage, but if he isn’t playing, let’s not harp on about it… Read more »
“Maybe he knows more than we do” You know, I agree that someone like Keown might have a bit of insight into what is going on at the club. This is a guy who has in the past refused to criticise Wenger after terrible performances because he says he was “like a father figure to me.” He is normally a staunch supporter of Arsenal in general and I find his punditry fair, but honest. So to attack Ozil like this is no small thing from him. It makes me almost think (and this is where you can call me a… Read more »
I know how you feel man, I got a cat last year and named him Ozil. If he doesn’t move to Man U, do I disown the cat or let him become nameless???
If he does move***
Kill it
Dog person so forgive my bias, but Chances are slim it responds to its name anyway? Change it.
Let me suggest a past great – chances are also slim ANY of the current crop of players will be here as long as your cat will!
Pretend your cat is invisible like Ozil is in games. Jk i love Ozil.
I cant see that happening.utd have mata and mikiaterean at ten and they will track back cause muareen will accept nothing else.
I’ve never Been Ozil’s biggest fan.
A joy to watch at times but certainly not at others.
I’d love to see a ruthless streak from Arsene.
If he thinks he’s too good for a trip to Belarus? Then play him in the under 23s or under 19s if he’s eligible…..
I certainly won’t miss him.
#OzilOut
It’s good to judge without proof. Even murderers are not judged this way.
You make a very good point. Assuming you mean “It’s not good to judge without proof”
Ozil is too good for Belarus just like Santi was for Ludogorets away.
Slow news day for Keown I think
To be fair, all of this is complete conjecture on Keown’s part – does he really know any more about Ozil’s injury situation than the rest of us? He’s been flogging the same dead horse for a good year now and he’s coming across as fixated on this single issue when frankly Ozil gave just one of 11 terrible performances on the pitch at Anfield.
I suspect Kewon knows more than he’s aloud to say outright.
Why?
Because former players talk to each other. A lot. People don’t stop being friends if they leave an organisation. People talk to each other. Sometimes to get a story out or sometimes just over a pint.
Yes, he remains very well-connected to people still within the club. And he loves the club dearly and therefore has no good reason to make this sort of thing up.
He’s best mates with Bold and no doubt has other connections within the club.
Kewon is a talking head that needs to give out opinions that are going to rattle up fans. To say that he knows more then he’s letting out is the same as if I say that he is talking nothing but BS as he usually does most of the time.
He might actually be right in this case about Ozil. I hope he isn’t since he is one of my fav players to watch. I guess time will tell lol
But is it helpful to either Arsenal FC or Wenger for Keown to keep banging on about it.
If he knows something, he’s known it for a long time, because he’s just spouting the same talking points: Feb 8: “Ozil expensive luxury”, Apr 21: “Ozil hunger for titles – nightmare for Wenger”, May 2: “Ozil has given up on Arsenal”, May 21: “Ozil has been overindulged”, Aug 14: “Ozil heading for exit” Aug 20: “Ozil is not committed to Arsenal” Aug 26: “Keown questioning Ozil’s contribution”. Sep 26: “Ozil angling for a move away” That’s just a few of them…
Or, he just doesn’t like Ozil and bashes him every opportunity he gets. And because he’s a pundit, his bashing sees the light of day.
The keyword here that I like is conjecture. I don’t know anymore is Ozil is injured. I hope he is otherwise this constant media speculation on him, how he is lazy and overrated is not good for players mentally nor his motivation. The British tabloids and pundits are way too critical. Personally, I think he is a gifted player and was going to buy an Arsenal shirt with his name on it but I’m thinking I’ll go with Koscielny now. There is that Instagram post he wrote which to me was a sign of commitment until his contract ends. I… Read more »
Personally I would rather he showed that kind of fighting spirit and commitment on the pitch when things are going wrong rather than on Instragam.
Honestly dont care if we keep Özil or not. Not that good a player. There’s a reason real madrid became so succesful after selling him. Nobody plays with a number 10 anymore, who can only find a pass. They need to be good at holding on to the ball, and helping the central midfielders of getting the ball out of defense and into attack, something Özil’s not capable of. For me its either 3 man defence or 3 man midfield (one defensive, two central).
I don’t get it. Explain what is successful? Obviously you are very biased against Ozil I get that part but where is it that they were soo much more successful after Ozil? 3 years before, during and after it seems like Ozil greatly improved them compared to the previous 3 years. The 3 years following it seems like they slightly improved especially with finishing out winners in CL. I would think the improvement they had during his 3 years compared to the previous 3 years is greater then the success they have had during the 3 years after he has… Read more »
Don’t ruin the narrative caligunner ?
Back to back Champions leagues since they replaced Ozil (CAM) with Casemiro (CDM).
That is no coincidence.
lol
they replaced him with james big fail project and when zidane became manager he changed the tactic with 3 midifled 1 dm and 2 ballers because they were runed in midfiled by defensive side playing on counter because neither modric or kroos are dm or better defensive players than ozil. they played without ball winner with modric and kroos and get punished. xhaka is very similar to kroos and what xhaka shoyld be in future because he is far away from kroos. and modric is the creator with casemiro dm. if we sell ozil we could copy their tactic but… Read more »
Modric is miles better than Ozil
yes it is a coincidence lol That is 3 and 4 years after Ozil was transferred out.
how long are you going to compare Ozil time there to what Real ends up doing? Are we going to debate what they do in 2020? 2022? 2050?
I like your logic, Tim. In a massive, ever-changing squad like Real Madrid, you cleverly isolate the single important change. Forget the arrival of Bale, or the departure of Xabi Alonso. Forget Mourinho, or later the arrival of Zidane as coach. It was all Ozil.
He does have a point in saying how did he get injured again after being fit against WBA.
It is possible for players to get injured more than once… I’m not saying that’s what happened, but I reckon Keown knows as much about it as I do.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s avoiding getting himself cup tied to better a move in January.
Maybe, although under the complicated UEFA rules, he *could* play in the Europa League group stages for Arsenal and still be registered by a different club in January for the Champions League knock-out stage. Only one player per club is allowed to do that, but it is possible.
He can’t get cup tied unless he gets a transfer to a EL club. He can go to any CL eligible club since Arsenal isn’t in CL this year.
Not quite, actually. CL and EL are treated as the same ‘european cup competition’ in UEFA’s rules, so normally you can’t represent two teams in one season. This is the exception that I mentioned before: “One player per club who would normally be cup-tied can be registered and eligible to play, so long as his previous club did not field him in the same competition. This means that players can represent two different clubs in the Europa League and Champions League, but only a maximum of one player per club. However, if the first club switches into the same competition… Read more »
You know that you can re-injure or re-aggravate a previous ailment right? There isn’t a rule that once you are fit that you can’t get hurt again. I know shocking, right???
People re aggravate injuries all the time. Plus, the fact he only came on as a sub against WBA suggests he may not have been 100 percent.
Lest we forget it was Keown who beasted Mertesacker before the cup final then in order to get an interview tried to cosy up to him after the BFG put in that awesome performance. Just like all the other ex pros he’s looking to develop a media career and his comments should be viewed as such.
Let’s not forget per hadn’t played in ages and if you claim to think before that game per was going to smash it then you need to get your head outta your arsenal.
Not saying I doubted he had the ability but that is part of the beauty of his performance no one expected it.
So was Keown wrong or right? No need to backwards engineer jesuitical arguments. The facts are sufficient.
Let’s not forget that keown put his body on the line for Arsenal in way that ozil never would. Show a bit of respect for an Arsenal legend.
Totally agree. Straight talking Keown is usually correct in most of the things he says.
Yet Wrighty said if he had played with Ozil, he would have scored in every game. The assists are not there because we are having trouble scoring. That’s not Ozil’s fault. Have a look at chances created – that should tell us a thing or two!
Ah, Keown, what a shame that you would join the band wagon and spout shite. The best they have played in a couple of years and all because Ozil wasn’t playing. You mean the victory in the fa cup final where we outplayed them from the off and Ozil was superb, doesn’t count. You went down in my estimation when after Stoke game you bought into Gerard’s bollox. Ozil was our best player by far that day. He created more than any player on pitch, put it on plate for bellerin and welbeck. I’ve had season ticket since we moved… Read more »
Ozil was “superb ” in the cup final ? Really? He missplaced more passes than I could count he also missed two golden chances one to make it 2_0 the other would have made it 3_1 he was also somewhat at fault for Costas goal in the build up preceding it being robbed without any resistance! He had a reasonable game but it was way off a motm performance!
I’m guessing you watched from home on tv Nick as Ozil was instrumental in pulling them apart and his movement with Sanchez up top was superb. Didn’t say he was motm.
Actual facts or just your eye test? lol
Where’s Wallace, String? String! Where the fuck is Wallace?!
When i think that this guy, Keown, is considered as a legend and gets paid to say absolutely unfounded things. Weird world. But it seems to be fruitful as he’s gone on insulting Özil for 4 years now. Poor man, being in the shadow after years of being under the spotlights seems difficult to bear. Poor man, poor life.
‘Poor man, poor life.’
I can just imagine the outrage from you Alex if someone said that about Arsene or a player you like or an ex player who you agree with. It’s the modern Illiberal Liberals ailment…….’Respect for everyone !!! (except excluding obviously anyone I disagree with)’
Amazed at how you could make a political point out of this.
cos listening to people debating Arsenal is exactly like listening to people debating politics these days. The extremists at both ends of the spectrum are making all the noise and drowning everyone else out….maybe it’s not like that for you but that’s what it’s like for me.
What’s more amazing is that more people are upset by my response to Alex than they are by Alex’s disgraceful comment about Keown. Says a huge amount about the herd mentality on here….the same people who relentlessly accuse anyone who says anything remotely negative of having a herd mentality…the hypocrisy is simply breathtaking.
Few extreme comments in there sir. Maybe try removing the log from your eye before removing the splinter from mine.
Ozil will never be missed at Arsenal should he leave.I believe down in the hearts of hearts of Arsene and the board they wish he doesn’t even sign the offer on the table that is why they are not really pushing for him to sign like they did with Sanchez.Most of the other players play well when the two are not playing. Sanchez is good but very individualistic and Ozil is also good when the team gets more of the ball. If only the other players will step up and take their chance Wenger can be ruthless with them and… Read more »
Keown hasn’t watched a lot of Arsenal matches in the last few years if that was the best performance he’s seen. In fact, it wasn’t even the best performance we’ve had against Chelsea in recent years. Both the FA Cup final and the 3-0 win early last season were much better performances.
It was a good performance, especially after that Anfield mess, but let’s not blow it completely out of proportions here.
This
Interestingly enough Iwobi also started that 3-0 win and was one of the more influential players. His running in between the lines, interplay and drive forward caught chelses by surprise.
Ozil’s relative failure and current situation at Arsenal is not just at his doorstep. It is also a result of Wenger’s management style and the clubs lack of management as a whole. Everyone knew coming in what Ozil was a world class number 10 at “number 10 stuff”. Madrid, Bremen and Germany knew that and used him accordingly, putting the right players around him. Wenger did everything but to be honest. Now if he’s throwing a strop that’s as much to do with the culture of indifference and lack of accountability that’s festered at the club for years. We can… Read more »
Exactly, before Ozil, Arshavin and Podolski have been blamed for our lack of defensive organisation and being played incorrectly.
Jack Wilshere is the player we are currently missing…..
If he can stay fit and get enough game time…..I see the team stronger than if Ozil was playing
I would love to see Jack take his spot also, but that’s such a tall order given his fitness issues. He’ll always be one challenge away from a ten month hiatus. I hope I’m wrong. I really do. I absolutely love that guy and the heart he plays with. He leaves everything out there and Ozil just doesn’t.
I agree that would be awesome but i think that ship has sailed but I hope Im wrong!
We must support the players who want to be at Arsenal like Giroud and the others and they will deliver for Arsenal but most of the times we turn against these players hype up Sanchez and Ozil as if the other players are not even worthy to share the same shirt with them. Sanchez scored 30 goals last season the best ever in his career all these goals were assisted by other players at Arsenal, he played with the likes of MESSI, xavi, iniesta etc but couldn’t hit those heights and yet we make Sanchez bigger than Arsenal. Ozil and… Read more »
You know he wasn’t even a starter at Barca? Basically a super sup that put up great number.
Caligunner, thats simply not true. He made 45 apps and scored 21 goals. You don’t do that sitting on the bench.
He was a starter but he wasn’t exactly irreplaceable.
They aren’t the same player but last season Theo was a blotted on starter and this season…
As good a player as Ozil is, if his heart isn’t in it then he doesn’t deserve to play. I doubt Keown knows what is going on behind the scenes, is he injured or not, who knows apart from the club? Suffice to say, we have shown that we can play in the big games without him when it counts. Much as I love him, if this chapter is over for him, we should really have sold him in the summer (although admittedly there didn’t seem to be much interest with the lack of media coverage on him). Anyway that… Read more »
If he’s downed tools and wants to go that should mean not playing this season, not much at least, and then leaving on a free. Sounds very straight forward to me. How is that messy?
I like Ozil and defend him as much as possible, I will inevitably dislike if he joins Moronho in Manchester. But I’m not going to dislike him now because Keown has joined a long list of former players that like to put their boot into their former employers at every opportunity.
These very same pundits will be kissing his arse if he starts playing for manure.
He’s 100% leaving for Man Utd. State of all of you defending him.
Who cares if he does? Its not like he grew up in the academy or in London. He is a German. He doesn’t have to care about rivalries especially the one with ManU since it wasn’t as lets say intense as it was before he arrived.
I wouldn’t root for him if he goes there but damn I’m not going to hate him lol
“Root”. You’re an American, you don’t know anything about what it is to be a supporter and live in North London. Your argument is 100% invalid. Be gone.
The vast majority of arsenal fans – the ones whose support makes sponsors interested, the ones who buy all the merch, the ones whose tv viewing habits make arsenal/epl rights so lucrative – alao don’t live in north london. If you want only local supporters, time to switch allegiance to a team in league 2 or the conferences.
The nerve, to think your opinion is any more valid based on the factors you mentioned. Go jump in a lake.
The End.
You don’t know anything about what it is for an argument to be valid. Your argument is 100% invalid. Be gone.
Ozil is a fucking coward who can’t even be trusted to put his boot through a penalty or put a tackle in in a big game. A massive waste of money and trying to build a team around him has been one of Wenger’s biggest mistakes in the later part of his career.
Can’t wait until this wage thief fucks off out of the club.
“Having been appalling in the 4-0 defeat to Anfield, Ozil missed the much-improved 0-0 draw away at Chelsea,” I have been one of Ozil’s biggest detractors, but I’m gonna get stick for this….I really don’t like it when Blogs does this. There’s always a subtle agenda change anytime it seems a player is keen to leave. I mean, that’s fine, but the last time you mentioned Ozil’s performance in that game, you caveated it with “but everyone was terrible” almost to protect him, as at that time there was no rumours of him downing tools. Now the rumours surface, and… Read more »
You’re talking b*llocks. Blogs, Andrew and co do a fantastic (and free!) service by providing us with news of what’s happening. Keown has said what he’s said and it’s been reported on an Arsenal news site. Take off the tin hat and go elsewhere if you don’t like it!
They do a fantastic job, and I’m grateful for that.
Doesn’t mean they’re beyond criticism. Even Andrew himself will attest to that.
So don’t be such a grown up. He’s not gonna invite you over for (free!) beers if you jump to his defence. I was neither insulting or disrespectful, but just because one has a blog doesn’t mean there’s no accountability.
In short, just grow up a bit.
I genuinely loved it when Özil arrived at the club and I have adamantly supported him through every campaign since. Recently I’ve been reading his autobiography and – although I’m not finished yet – it reveals a lot of his knowledge of how to maintain a clean public image as a player as he bickers with his clubs. He did it at Schalke, Werder Bremen, and possibly at Real Madrid too. Combine that with his sickening love for Jose Mourinho and I now feel his departure must happen as soon as possible to avoid anymore damage.
Why is there outrage when anybody says that Ozil is lazy, doesn’t care or doesn’t contribute enough? Its such a hipster argument to defend his ‘subtle contribution’ or ‘moments of brilliance,’ when the truth is his entire game is predicated on having players around him good enough to stick it in the net and do the hard work for him, and he has never seemed interested in changing that.
Its been 4 years guys, its time to stop hoping our ‘club transforming signing’ is the messiah we were all hoping he would be.
Can’t see anyone sensible giving into £350,000 pw and that is just to force his way out. He is not a good fit for our team anyway. It would need a very secure partnership in midfield to accommodate Ozil, along with the high risk players that we have often losing the ball.
This is spot on. The way that the game, tactics and our needs have developed mean that we need a player like Ozil less than we once did.
I can, he has 31 million facebook followers and 14 million on instagram, a savvy marketing department would look at those numbers as something to cash in on.
That’s wonderful Karl, don’t replace the weak midfield two replace the fella ahead who has created more assists and chances than anyone since he has been in league. Then we can turn on the replacement who is still playing in front of a weak midfield. Logic.
I would lose Ozil and Xhaka, move Ramsey further forward and bring in Gorezka +1
We’re not getting Goretzka, obviously. And Ramsey at 10 is a shadow of the player Ozil is. Other than that, great plan.
Great article but Iwobi was dreadful against Chelsea. Keown’s wrong about that.
If he want to go then lett him go. I rather end up halftable with a team who cares then end up top 4 with a bunch of primadonnas…but what i cannot bare with is the “well deserved win for our boys, ya gunners ya” bullshit on twitter and facebook after every win we gett without him. Wanna be a wanker under mourinho? Go ahead…in the meantime, dont act like you give a f*ck about Arsenal just to stay out of the shit you will have to deal with eventually.
Yeah great. None of top clubs have drama about players staying or leaving unless they get shiny new contract that makes them happy for 12-24 months
Well I’m just honestly sad I fell for the “we aren’t a selling club anymore.”
I know Wenger, even if we lose both out best players, on a free, Wenger is gonna bounce back to the top 4 no problem. But I hope Mr. Wenger doesn’t think we are any different now from what we were the year Henry left us.
Or he could be, you know, injured.
I take his comments with a pinch of salt. Ozil has always been respectful and admire Wenger, and like any other player he has his bad days. Low also said he needs to rest. No matter if he stays or go , but he could have worked out better for both parties. But at times he suffered from the intense physical battle and pace of the game in the Epl.But to his credits in his second year he bulked up and was amazing for large part of that season and it was Alexis who did not really showed up that… Read more »
I am guessing Ozil did not fancy a trip with the German national team then based on what Keown just alleged. Its not rocket science, the boy is injured. Stop all the conspiracy theory. Just as Ozil said, Legends should stay Legends and stop stirring up faux news.
Apart from not being able to fly the human races’ biggest problems are speculation and the need to know. “When person X said this they really mean this” err, ok, if you say so. We cant help it, when something bad happens in the world we need to know why and we go round and round in circles but the fact is stuff happens. The internet has made our human condition much worse. So for me the fact that Ozil scratched his left bum cheek doest mean anything apart from he has an itch. If he or others are going… Read more »
Are there still any ozil supporters out there? Fucking disgrace of a player..
Yes, me. I’m proud to wear his number on my shirt and I’m not interested in what anybody else thinks. Keown is talking shit because he’s desperately trying to hang on to a career as a pundit, and I don’t believe he knows what’s going with Mesut any more than we do. This is all speculation and bullshit, if Mesut leaves then I wouldn’t blame him at all, the hatred that he endures is a disgrace. No other fans turn on their own like Arsenal fans, which is why the media keep fuelling the fires, they know Arsenal fans will… Read more »
“manful job”
I guess we now know what KKeown’s favourite pornhub search is.
It was once said that Theo Walcott was the club personified but I think Ozil would be a better candidate. Fantastic footballer, undeniable skill but in the big away games when you’re under pressure, literally and figuratively, is badly found wanting. That’s why he’s a lightning rod for criticism, he’s symbolic of the issues we’ve had down the years on and off the pitch. Sad to say it but I personally won’t miss him too much if he goes but of course good luck to him if he does, he deserves that much at least.
Or maybe, just maybe…he’s injured
*Mind blown* I know
This is what happens when you allow players to run down their contracts, although Sanchez is a different animal to most players, but Ozil is looking after number one.
Wenger shouldn’t be surprised as he’s been in the game long enough. It happened years ago with Wilford and Kanu, even Edu left on a free, but he gave his all until the end and it also happened this summer with Oxlade-Chamberlain!
Tbh it happens far too often under Wenger, that’s what I find worrying…
Ozil is a fantastic player, but if he wants out there’s not a lot we can do. We’ve lost better players, and we’re still here. We’ll get over it,eventually
Sounds to me like Mr. Keown is wide of the mark on this one.
I think we would be better off selling him in January for whatever we can get for him. We certainly are not going to retain him (and I don’t think we should) and need to get something for him in January if we can. We can get back into the top 4 without Ozil with players like Welbeck, Iwobi, Ramsey, etc. that can play in Ozil’s position. When he is on his game and working for the team he certainly adds something nobody else can, but how often has that been and how often will that be going forward with… Read more »
Sure Keown. He’s downed tools for Germany as well. He can’t be bothered with his national team either. This Chelsea 0-0 was better than our win against united 3-0. Win against Chelsea in PREM last year AND da cup win against city and Chelsea huh? Cause Ozil was out? Right. GTFOH. Seems it differs week to week. One week is Sanchez as the bad apple. Next week Ozil. Players have a contract. If arsenal decides to keep them till the end so be it. If player decides to leave, its their choice. I’m an arsenal fan but we’re I in… Read more »
We are talking about performances away from home here bro
The argument that his work rate numbers are there is true, but it’s what he does with those numbers that counts. You cannot depend on him to do any defending at all and I think everybody can agree with that. The bottom line is that he’s just not built for the premier league. He really is a great player. He is. But he has to have the pieces around him to function properly. The premier league has changed and a player like him is now a liability. I will be very surprised if Mourinho takes him, given his tendency to… Read more »
As fascinated as I am to leap all over unsubstantiated Öz-conjecture by Martin Kewn (good bloke, not at all ITK however), let us discuss in brief more critical issues.
Why can I arse here but not on the daily blog itself? Permanent arse-disabling? Temporary arse-damage only?
The guys greedy, money talks and he is playing ( when he gets the chance ) his way out of the Arsenal squad, Fabrigas was the same, Robin v Persie also, to say they were fed up because Arsenal hadn’t won the CL or Premiership for years is no excuse, those greedy players who left Arsenal for monetary gain only could and would have put Arsenal on top.
Evidence for any of this Martin??? The whole thing seems based on speculation and the crazy assumption that Ozil’s knee issue couldn’t possibly have flared up after the West Brom game. That’s crazy. Injuries flare up all the time, especially for Arsenal players. Also worth pointing out that Ozil played and was excellent against Bournemouth AFTER the Liverpool game (named “main man” by Adrian Clarke). So this simplistic narrative that says our fortunes changed dramatically between Liverpool and Chelsea due to Ozil being out has no basis in reality. The Chelsea performance was a good one (though still just a… Read more »
That’s a bold claim for Keown to make and there’s no way for us to verify whether it has substance. It’s a strange situation but Keown is no fan of Özil (based on previous statements) and seems to be pushing that narrative in his punditry. As Boom Xhaka Laca said, it could easily be conjecture. Yet, Mesut didn’t turn up for the media event either and is obviously not interested in signing a new contract with Arsenal. If Özil cares as much as he claimed in his Instagram where he rebuffed his critics, then it’s up to him to show… Read more »
Yup he is injured according to his latest Instagram post.
If this is all true, it actually gives me great hope. Hope that we are not pandering to the status of a player, who is underperforming.
Not sure this has always been the case in recent seasons, so long may it continue.
(I would like nothing more than Ozil respond and raise his game again)
We play better without him, been ready for him to move on for a while now. Attitude sucks…
I think Keown is right. I defended Ozil for years going along the same arguments of ‘look at his stats’, ‘some fans just don’t see it’s, ‘some fans just want to see running’ etc., but no on reflection I do think there is an attitude issue here. We can go on about how he is loved by Joachim Lowe and that but he is not all the times by the Germany fans who level the same criticism at him. I don’t think it’s possible for it all to be down to a kind of deceptive body language or the oft-phrased… Read more »
Ozil has proven all the right wing goobers complaining about him nicking a living totally correct.
I hate him.
I would very much like for Sanchez and Ozil to be sold in January to make way for players who want to be part of The Arsenal going forward.