Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta disagrees with Arsene Wenger’s claim that Mesut Ozil is being ‘wasted’ at the club.
Ozil is yet to play for Arsenal this campaign, while the club’s hierarchy have held talks which would release him from his contract before the end of the season.
Earlier this week, Wenger said he was unhappy to see Ozil’s situation at the Emirates and believes he still has a lot to offer to the gunners team.
‘I feel it is a waste for him,’ Arsene Wenger said when asked about Ozil’s situation. ‘Firstly because he’s in the years where a player of his talent can produce the most.
‘And it’s a waste for the club as well because he’s a super talent, a creative talent that in the final third can create that killer pass.’
But when asked about Wenger’s assessment, Mikel Arteta said: ‘I think you have to try to find a way to fit every player with their own qualities. This is our job and this is our responsibility with all the players we have to manage.’
Mesut Ozil was also left out of the squad for their upcoming Europa League campaign and Arteta says it was a ‘difficult decision’ to omit the midfielder.
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‘Well he wasn’t the only one who’s not in the squad,’ said the Arsenal boss. ‘It was a really difficult decision for me to make because to leave players out of the squad at that level where they know they cannot get involved is really tough.
‘I don’t like it at all but the decision has to be made because we have a limit on foreign players and unfortunately we have to make that decision.’
