The Athletic journalist James McNicholas has been discussing Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi who have both found themselves cast aside by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
Ozil has only made the substitutes’ bench twice since the Premier League’s restart following the global pandemic. The official word is that the former German international is suffering with a back problem despite the player posting on social media ahead of the clash with Liverpool last Wednesday to declare himself fit and ‘ready’.
Guendouzi played the entire 90 minutes for the Gunners during their defeat at Brighton last month, a game in which he was involved in an incident with Neal Maupay and the Frenchman has not been in the squad since.
Speaking on a recent edition of the Arsecast Extra, McNicholas responded to a listener question regarding the two when discussing the FA Cup semi-final victory and he said: “It’s a shame to mention them, genuinely, because they’re not part of this. They could’ve been part of something great, they didn’t meet the manager’s demands and they’re not. They must feel embarrassed and they should feel embarrassed and I cannot wait to get shot of them.”
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McNicholas is clearly unhappy with the duo and expressed his desire to see the pair leave the Emirates Stadium. According to Transfermarkt.co.uk, Guendouzi is currently valued at £36.45m and at 21-years-old, the north London club may look to cash in on the player given the break down in his relationship with the head coach.
As for Mesut Ozil, he still has another year remaining on his current contract and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to convince the Arsenal boss he can still offer something to the team.