Raphael Honigstein: Arsenal Are Freezing Mesut Ozil Out For Financial Reasons

Raphael Honigstein feels Unai Emery’s treatment of Mesut Ozil is financially motivated…

German football expert Raphael Honigstein believes the club are freezing Mesut Ozil out due to financial reasons and can’t comprehend how the playmaker can’t get into the side, he said on BT Sport.

Ozil was left out of the squad that travelled to BATE Borisov last week and were defeated by the Belarusian champions, with Unai Emery failing to give reasons as to why he left the 30-year-old at home.

His absence didn’t come as a major surprise given that Emery has done this quite often this season, and has also subsequently brought Ozil back into the side as captain.

However, following our poor run of results away from home in recent weeks coupled with our dire need for creativity, Emery’s decision to leave Ozil at home seemed like a personal one.

For Honigstein, however, he feels that Emery and the hierarchy want Ozil out of the club due to his hefty wage packet of £350,000 per week.

“It’s not the case that the team is playing so well and has so many creative players that he just cannot possibly get onto the teamsheet, or even into the squad,” Honigstein said.

“There is, to me, more of a financial decision here at play where they’re trying to free up some space on the wage bill and trying to perhaps engineer a situation where he feels he has to leave or go somewhere else.

“But, on a footballing basis, I don’t think you can really justify freezing him out completely at a time when Arsenal could’ve done with a bit of creativity.”

Honigstein is spot-on. While Ozil’s form has been questionable since he signed the new deal, the fact that we’re prepared to suffer on the pitch to achieve an end-goal of ousting Ozil is rather sickening by the club.

If this is the club’s agenda, then it comes after a few decisions which have been financially driven since the complete takeover of Stan Kroenke.

Aaron Ramsey’s contract offer was revoked with the midfielder now joining Juventus. Emery wasn’t given any money to spend in January despite the squad suffering three, season-ending injuries.

And now, the Ozil operation. Something’s up with the club’s finances and since we’re now under private ownership, our accounts do not have to be published fully to the public.

Dark, dark times.