John Cross: Ozil & Emery Have “A Pact” Which Will See The German Miss Big Away Games

The Mirror’s chief sports writer learns of a bizarre agreement between Ozil and Emery regarding his playing time…

The Mirror’s John Cross has revealed that Mesut Ozil and Unai Emery have an agreement which entails the German star being omitted from the squad for big away games, he told beIN SPORTS.

Ozil was absent from the squad that travelled to West Ham last week despite declaring himself fully fit following an apparent knee injury.

The 30-year-old also missed the thrashing at Anfield last month and it seems that the curious case of Ozil will continue for the foreseeable future.

Fans had speculated for some time about Ozil’s mysterious injuries and illnesses which has seen him miss a number of games since signing his new contract.

It was thought that it was due to a favourable relationship with Arsene Wenger, but according to John Cross, there’s a universal agreement between all parties.

“Honestly guys, and I promise you this is true as I’ve heard it from various sources, the whisper is among the dressing room that there is some sort of pact between Arsenal, Emery and Ozil that he won’t play in the big games,” he told beIN SPORTS.

.@johncrossmirror: ?️ “There’s some sort of pact between #Ozil, #Arsenal and #Emery where he won’t play in the big games…”

Wow.#KeysandGray pic.twitter.com/Dzq6wSh6gu

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 18, 2019

“He won’t play in difficult away games. He doesn’t give the team enough.”

Ozil isn’t ideal for the big games and hasn’t been since he arrived at the club, especially given how football has evolved over the past decade.

Teams generally play three in midfield with three explosive forwards to compliment a ferocious, pressing style – that’s not Ozil’s style.

Thus, leaving him out of the team is understandable, though we don’t have enough quality in the squad to leave a player of Ozil’s calibre out of the matchday squad.