According to 90min, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta blocked the departure of attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil during the January transfer window.
What’s the word?
It is claimed that the Gunners received an offer from an unnamed Qatari side at some point last month, but the new manager rejected such advances.
The source believes that it was a huge possibility the German could’ve departed the Emirates Stadium had it not been for Arteta’s intervention.
Earlier in the summer, 90min also revealed that the club were actively trying to shift the 31-year-old on due to his £350k-per-week wages with mooted interest from Istanbul Başakşehir and D.C. United.
Ozil played just four games in the Premier League this campaign under ex-boss Unai Emery before he was sacked, and the Daily Mail claimed the Spaniard wanted the midfielder gone during the off-season.
Part of Arteta’s plans
This latest move suggests that Arteta sees the World Cup winner as a significant part of his plans, and if the initial report is to be believed, the north Londoners had a genuine chance to free up some wages and major even garner a transfer fee from the £19.8m-rated ace.
His playing figures appear to back this up, so far, too – under Emery, Ozil averaged 69.7 minutes per game from 42 appearances, which increases to 74.5 minutes per game under Arteta from eight matches, via Transfermarkt.
The German has started the Gunners’ last seven league fixtures too, so it’s clear to see that his former teammate turned gaffer is a fan.
Ozil still has 18 months to run on his current contract, and he is approximately paid £150k-per-week more than any other member of the current Arsenal squad with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang next best at £200k, via Spotrac.
Although, his numbers are still some way off his phenomenal 2015/16 top-flight campaign, where he managed to score six goals and provide a monstrous 19 assists in one season. So far in 15 appearances, he has only managed the one assist.
Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Arsenal’s history in the January transfer window?
He’ll need to improve substantially if he is to justify Arteta’s stunning decision.
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