A former Emirates Stadium favourite can not see the German playmaker fitting into Mikel Arteta’s long-term aims in the club.
Mesut Ozil remains a”world-class participant” but he has no future at Arsenal, according to Andrey Arshavin, who believes the midfielder”slows the game down” too frequently.
The Gunners tied down Ozil into a five-year deal after agreeing a $55m move with Real Madrid back in 2013, in a move that was seen as a masterstroke from head coach Arsene Wenger at the moment.
He has since racked up 254 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 44 goals, while picking up three FA Cup winners’ medals.
However, the 31-year-old hasn’t quite managed to live up to expectations in Emirates Stadium amid worries over his fitness and perceived lack of effort on the pitch.
Following Unai Emery was drafted in to replace Wenger in the hot seat resulting in constant speculation in North London star, Ozil, dropped way.
The prior Germany global’s standing has improved since Mikel Arteta’s appointment in December, but Arsenal have yet to offer him a contract extension, in spite of the fact his current deal is due to expire next summer.
Arshavin would love to see somebody come in and fill the role occupied with it, by Ozil from the Gunners starting lineup his view that the playmaker has a negative influence on the attacking output of the team.
“As a player, of course, I admire him. Mesut is a world-class participant,” the former Arsenal attacker told 888 Sport.
“But for me, he slows the game down. I would rather use another player. Mikel, as we could see, plays a lot to him and is the reverse.
“He’s improved his match at Arsenal but nevertheless, later on, I don’t see him .”
Arteta’s men have slipped to ninth in the Premier League standings after 28 fittings of the present season, and seem destined to overlook Champions League soccer for a fourth consecutive year.
Performances have improved because the ex-Manchester City assistant’s arrival at the Emirates, but Arshavin considers his old team are still lacking in depth in the back.
“For me personally, Arsenal’s squad isn’t balanced,” said the Russian. “Offensively-wise they’re extremely good and in the attack, they perform very pretty football.
“It’s better to watch. But defensively in my period, Arsenal is feeble.
“Sometimes that’s down to accidents and sometimes they do not have sufficient experience but I do not understand why this does not change.”
Arshavin failed reserve praise for Arteta, insisting the Spaniard was a fantastic option for the job at Arsenal because of his experience working as a participant under Wenger.
“Regarding Arteta, it was a fantastic choice because he’s spent time at Arsenal and understands the club well. He worked alongside Arsene and can take a decent experience from him,” Arshavin added.
“He has the respect of the players and club. And since he’s taken over at Arsenal they’ve shifted: not too much in a way that was fantastic.
“But it’s hard to predict if Arsenal can complete in the Champions League zone, particularly in the time we are in now.”
