Why it is high time for Arsenal to offload Mesut Ozil in January
As per BBC, Aaron Ramsey is set to depart the club next summer after his talks over a new contract with Arsenal broke down. The Gunners have withdrawn the new four-year contract they had handed the Welshman and the 27-year-old is set to become a free agent next summer (h/t BBC).
However, Arsenal should look to get a good bargain for Ramsey and sell him in January as the Gunners face the risk of losing him for nothing next summer. Ramsey, who currently earns £110,000-a-week, will be free to hold talks with other clubs over a pre-contract agreement in January. If that happens, the Gunners must boost their finances to cover for the departure of one of their longest-serving playmakers.
Ramsey joined Arsenal back in 2008 from Cardiff City and has made a total of 336 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions, finding the back of the net on 58 occasions. The Welshman has featured in all of Arsenal’s games in the Premier League this season and has already registered a couple of assists.
The Welshman has adapted well to his new role under Unai Emery. Ramsey has been deployed in a more advanced role in the attacking third, allowing him to link the play with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.
He has definitely flourished in his new role behind the striker and has influenced the play with his passing, vision and the ability to make aggressive runs into the box. Emery hasn’t hesitated to shift Mesut Ozil to the right and the Spaniard has shown a tremendous amount of faith in the Welshman by handing him the most coveted position in the midfield. To be honest, he hasn’t disappointed so far.
On the contrary, Mesut Ozil is one of those players who has found it difficult to adapt their game to comply with Emery’s philosophy, which includes more pressing in the central areas of the park.
Ozil, who joined Arsenal for a fee of £42.4m, is renowned for his flawless passing but he hasn’t shown that so far this season. Not only has he lacked the intent and the intensity to compete at the highest level but he has also been guilty of displaying poor levels of commitment on the field. His passing has been off the radar and the German has given the ball away far too easily, often in crucial areas of the park, allowing the opposition to launch counter-attacks.
The 29-year-old has squandered possession in promising areas and has hardly crafted those delightful moves as he so often used to do in the past. Truth be told, Ozil has just looked like a shadow of his former glorious self. Furthermore, Ozil’s work rate is not sufficient to suit Emery’s style of play.
With Ramsey’s exit on the cards, Arsenal face a tricky situation in terms of filling the boots of the central attacking playmaker. Ozil’s lacklustre performances haven’t made things any easier for the manager.
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As things stand, it would not be a bad choice for Emery to offload Ozil in January as Arsenal already have the services of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Danny Welbeck, both of whom can play down the right.
Given that Arsenal should bring in reinforcements following Ramsey’s departure, it would be sensible to offload the German and raise some valuable funds.
Being the most expensive player in Arsenal’s ranks, having Ozil on the payroll will cost the club a lot in wages. And frankly, that does not justify the performances he has put in lately. Hence, offloading the German definitely makes a lot of sense.
