Arsenal: Mesut Ozil decision 'difficult to make' says Mikel Arteta
The German international has been frozen out by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and due to his astronomical wages they were unable to offload him during the summer transfer window.
The former Germany international is certain to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign, with clubs in Turkey and China both rumoured to be preparing an effort to land his signature.
Arteta did secure a new long-term deal for club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of the 2020/21 season kick off, with the Gabonese international joining Ozil in the over £200,000 weekly wage bracket.
Summer signings Thomas Partey and Willian have come straight into the squad on higher wages than any of Arteta’s longer serving stars, with Partey, Aubameyang and Ozil all earning a minimum of a £1million per month at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal return to action later today against Manchester City and Mikel Arteta is expecting a tough match against Pep Guardiola's side and one very different to their last with Sheffield United.
Arsenal wages: Mesut Ozil tops the list with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Image: GETTY)
"I think it will be a completely different game," he said. "City's approach when they play us will be very different to [Sheffield United's], very different demands for what we have to do with and without the ball as well.
"I am really happy with the way we managed to win the game and how patient we were, and the improvements compared with last year against this type of opposition but again, we know the level of difficulty at Manchester City will be another level. "They are still producing incredible numbers in everything that they are doing. In my opinion, they have been really unlucky with some of the results they got because they should have put games to bed very early in those games, and then the level of efficiency of the opponents when they had half chances have punished them a lot. "But I haven't seen any decrease in the level of the way they are playing or in what they are producing game by game. I haven't seen any of that."
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy