Paul Merson has urged Arsenal boss Unai Emery to recall Mesut Ozil to his side in order to make the most of Manchester United and Totteham Hotspur’s poor start to the new season.
Spurs find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League table after only managing to win three of their opening eight top flight matches while North London rivals Arsenal are four points ahead in third place.
Ozil has only made two appearances for the Gunners in all competitions this season which includes him not even being included in the match day squad over the past three matches.
The 30-year-old earns in excess of £300,000 a week at the Emirates (Metro) with Football.London claiming that Emery prefers to play loanee Dani Ceballos in a creative role ahead of the German international.
Merson believes that Arsenal need to capitalise on the bad patch which their top six rivals are encountering at the moment in what is expected to be a fight for third and fourth place in the table
He told the Daily Star: “Mesut Ozil should be starting Arsenal’s next few games so they can take advantage of how badly Tottenham and Manchester United are struggling,”
“Arsenal have to make hay while the sun shines and their rivals are struggling, so they have got to put some points together in these games and go on a run.
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“It’s a big few weeks for them – and that’s why I would play Ozil. I personally think he’s their best player.
“In terms of ability and talent he’s the best player at the club.
“He’s a luxury player, and the manager has obviously decided he can’t carry a player like that in a team that’s already one of the worst around without the ball.”
“Unai Emery should bring him in from the cold. But he won’t,” he added.
“If he plays Ozil and they win, he has to keep playing him, and the manager doesn’t want that. The manager wants him out.
“And if that’s the plan then they are going to have to swallow a pill and get rid of him in January come what may.
“He’s on £350,000-a-week and he’s not playing and doesn’t look like having any chance of playing. I think that’s a mistake.
“But if Emery has made his mind up, Arsenal are going to have to find him a move – and they will have to subsidise his wages to do it because no-one else is playing him that.”
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