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Up until a few months ago, a lot of Arsenal fans were undecided when it came to Mesut Ozil. The German playmaker looked like he was being unfairly forced out of the club by Unai Emery, but as the facts continue to come out it looks like some of the Gunners have been backing the wrong corner. Even if Ozil is being forced out, that is looking more and more like the right decision to make anyway.
The German creator has scored just five goals and registered an awful two assists for the Gunners this season. To put that into perspective, both Mark Noble and Victor Camarasa of West Ham and Cardiff have bettered those stats, and so has Ryan Babel of relegated Fulham, despite the fact he only signed for the club in January, stats via Premier League.
On the chalkboard
It would take a very brave Arsenal fan to step up and defend the performances Ozil has contributed in the 2018/19 season, but then again, poor defending has also been a staple of the Gunners’ season.
Aaron Ramsey has proven to be the man that the fans thought Ozil would be and his exit is hitting the fans a lot harder than Ozil’s eventually will. However, with a contract until 2021 the German could be here to stay.
No one in their right mind is going to buy the attacking midfielder. This season has seen him fall well below expectation, culminating in his anonymous Europa League final performance. To make matters worse, after dropping a shocker in his 77 minutes in the pitch, Turkish outlet Fanatik claims he had a dispute with Emery afterwards, repeatedly saying ‘you are not a coach’ to his manager.
If it looked like Ozil might be able to steal a living at Arsenal for any longer before that Europa League final, he now seems to have well and truly burned his bridges.
The stats are all stacking up against him, and despite the fact Ozil is 12th on the list of Arsenal players to have played the most top-flight minutes, he’s been dispossessed the 3rd most of any of the squad, stats via Premier League.
If the playmaker does have a future in North London then Emery will be keen to make sure it’s not a comfortable one. The German has had a harsh lesson this season in which he’s become very friendly with the bench, and whilst the fans will be desperate to see him off and free up some valuable funds, finding a suitor will be more than a tough ask.