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Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that managing Mesut Ozil was not difficult, but added that some players are “a little more sensitive.”
Ozil has not appeared for Mikel Arteta’s team all season amid speculation that he will leave the Gunners when the 32-year-old enters the final six months of his £ 350,000-a-week contract in January.
Ozil was signed by Wenger in 2013 for a club-record £ 42 million from Real Madrid, but has faced Arteta since the Spaniard took over at the Emirates in 2019.
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Speaking to the ESPN Caught Offside podcast, Wenger stifled notions that Ozil may be a problem in the boot room.
“It wasn’t hard to handle. He was a guy who had a special quality as a creative player and needed to have fun,” Wenger said. “He’s an artist and these guys are a little more sensitive.
“They need support and an environment that encourages them to do their best.”
Ozil, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, will have the freedom to negotiate directly with foreign clubs, and sources told ESPN’s James Olley that one of his options is to move to Major League Soccer.
Wenger also provided advice to Arteta, once his player at Arsenal, on how to best use someone like Ozil.
“You have two ways of looking at a football team. You get everyone to do the same. The same intensity of work, the same defensive work or you find a compromise. You have a more creative player on the team who can do less defensive work. but a team is built around him that can compensate for these shortcomings. That’s what to think about. “
Wenger pointed to the situation of his great rival Manchester United and Paul Pogba on how to deal with internal tensions with a player.
“I think you have to explain to a player that no matter what his future plan is, his interest and his job is to perform in the present [club]. It is the best way to prepare your future, to play well in the present.
“When I saw Pogba walk into RB Leipzig on Tuesday night, I was sorry he didn’t start the game because he immediately had a huge impact.”
Source: espn.co.uk
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