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The former Gunners forward believes too much has happened behind the scenes for a World Cup winner to come out of the cold.
Mesut Ozil will not be welcomed back into the Arsenal fold despite people “constantly” asking for the German playmaker to be offered a break, says Alan Smith.
A World Cup winner is frozen in the Emirates Stadium with Mikel Arteta.
Despite being a proven player at the highest level, while also tied to a lucrative contract, the 32-year-old midfielder has been left out of the Europa League and Premier League teams.
It appears that Arsenal have seen the last of a player who was removed from Real Madrid in 2013, with Ozil due to free agency in the summer of 2021.
Smith is one of those who feels too many bridges have been burned to clean a slate, and Arteta feels let down by a man he once played with.
Smith, a former Gunners forward, said Sky sports From a long-running and potentially distracting saga at Emirates Stadium: “It’s about getting the ball to Aubameyang quickly and people who can see the pass early. This is why people constantly talk about Ozil, as he is the type that could do that.
“Arsenal were behind a creative player in the window, Houssem Aouar, and they couldn’t get him to get along with Thomas Partey.
“But there is a lack of creativity, even before this losing streak started, you could see it in the wins over Sheffield United and West Ham.
“Do I see Ozil return to the team? No, I can’t see it. Too much has happened behind the scenes for Arteta to trust him again. I think he feels that Ozil has let him down at times, where the player has not been available when he thought he would be.
“If you don’t trust a player, it’s a big problem. It was a very important thing not to put him on the team, a great statement, and I can’t see him return to the frame. “
Arteta is taking considerable risk by omitting Ozil, with his absence an obvious topic of debate during an inconsistent Arsenal run, but Smith believes a Spanish tactician will become a better coach for having made great decisions and experienced a streak of tests.
He added, with an appointment in the North London derby with his upcoming archrival Tottenham for the Gunners: “It’s a great test for Arteta.
“He is a young coach who has not had to deal with these kinds of problems before, where he has the last word and the responsibility on his shoulders. It’s totally different being a teammate of someone like Pep Guardiola, no matter how much work you do in training camp.
“He is bound to make mistakes along the way, as good a coach as I think he is. It’s a real test for him right now, and he must be scratching his head to think of a way out of this race. “
