Troy Deeney has told talkSPORT he is disappointed by Arsenal’s treatment of Mesut Ozil, insisting the frozen out midfielder has ‘done nothing wrong’.
The Watford striker has even accused Gunners boss Mikel Arteta of ‘poor management’ over the German’s exile, and believes he made a huge mistake by not naming Ozil in his 25-man squad for the season.
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Questions are being asked of Arteta, his tactics and the continued absence of Ozil with the north London club suffering from their worst run of goalscoring form since 1986.
Arsenal ended last season on a high by lifting the FA Cup and followed that up with a decent summer transfer window, but the season has not gone to plan for the Gunners who are slipping down the table.
Arteta’s side now sit 11th after Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Leeds United – their fifth tie of the season – and they are also currently on their worse scoring run in 34 years, having netted just nine goals in their nine league games so far.
Their recent lack of goals has plenty of supporters asking why Ozil is not even in the picture – surely the playmaker, widely regarded as one of the best to ever grace the Premier League, would do something about that?
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Well, perhaps the Ozil of old, but not now.
The 32-year-old hasn’t played a single minute for Arsenal this season, having last appeared in the previous campaign’s 1-0 win over West Ham back in March – which saw him claim an assist for the winning goal.
He is seemingly destined to leave on a free at the end of the season, just two years after putting pen to paper on a staggering £350,000-a-week contract.
But while some – including diehard Gooner Piers Morgan – have been calling for Ozil to leave the club, others are now claiming he could do a job in this team.
And Deeney is one of them, insisting his situation at the club was never his fault.
“I think his career at Arsenal is done, personally,” he said on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast. “I don’t see how he can come back from it… especially when you’re seeing him so much more active on social media, I think he’s mentally checked out as well.
“It’s a shame. I said last week, and I got battered for it, that he’s one of the best players I’ve played against.
“I think he’s very good and I think Aubameyang and players like that would thrive off someone like that slipping balls in; he sees passes others can’t.
“Ronaldo said he was the second best player in Spain after himself…
“What people don’t see is what happens behind closed doors. There’s obviously an issue with his wages and he’s in the last year of his contract… they may have said something to the effect of: ‘We want you to take a pay cut’.
“But as player you think: ‘Why? I didn’t force you, I didn’t put a gun to your head and say offer me this money’.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong.
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“They’re not fining him for being late or refusing to play, it’s coming down to an issue of style of play – does he work hard enough for the new formation – and money.
“I’m sure at a later date he will talk about it and everyone will think: ‘Ah, yeah, maybe it was a bit harsh’. But, sadly, people don’t see what happens behind closed doors, they only see the performance on Saturday.
“Something has definitely happened because he’s fallen off the face of the earth and he’s not even made the 25-man squad.
“You could make the argument, is that poor management? Because having him just in the 25 at least would allow you to put him in in this current situation…”
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