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Mikel Arteta has offered Mesut Ozil a lifeline to save his career at Arsenal amid news that he will be excluded from the Premier League team.
The German has not played for the Gunners in seven months, and his last appearance was in March.
With one year remaining on his £ 350,000-a-week contract, the club tried to ditch him in the summer transfer window.
But Ozil was happy to stay where he was and fulfill his contract.
And earlier this month, the former Real Madrid star was notably absent when Arsenal introduced their 25-man Europa League squad.
The same fate looks set to befall him in the Premier League, with Arteta experiencing something of a selection headache.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
Arsenal have 19 foreign players, two more than the selection guidelines allow.
With time running out of his contract and little chance to play, it would appear that Ozil’s career at the Emirates is over.
But Arteta has thrown a lifeline on the 32-year-old, telling him to keep working hard in case an opportunity appears.
Besides Ozil, Sokratis has also been banned from the Europa League squad after being told he could leave in the summer.
The Gunners coach said: “[Ozil and Sokratis] You have to respect that decision, try to train in the best possible way, help the team as best you can and see what happens ”.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
Ozil will be free to speak with other clubs in January about signing a prior contract, but what the future holds for the World Cup winner remains to be seen.
When pressed about his decision to exclude the playmaker from the Europa League, Arteta insisted that it was a difficult decision.
“Well, he wasn’t the only one not on the team,” he said.
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“It was a really difficult decision for me because leaving players out of the squad at that level where they know they can’t get involved is really difficult.
“I don’t like it at all, but the decision has to be made because we have a limit of foreign players and unfortunately we have to make that decision.”
Arsenal will face Manchester City next Saturday in the Premier League, and Arteta will face his former mentor Pep Guardiola.
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