Mesut Ozil is ‘really happy at Arsenal according to David Hillier from what he’s been behind the scenes.
The former Arsenal man was speaking on the Chronicles of A Gooner podcast when he said, “I don’t understand how the situation’s got to this stage.
“First of all, I’ll say that Mesut Ozil, if you are privy to some of the videos and the training ground stuff that I see, the way that he is with the lads and the way that he conducts himself – it’s like none of this is happening to him.
“He’s really happy and all the players are happy with him and the staff and the managers are all happy with him.
“I don’t think there’s an issue with Mesut’s game. I think the issue is when he’s left out of the side so many times, he then starts to lose his consistent level he was playing at.
“So every time he comes back into the side, like coming back into the side [off the bench against Southampton], whenever he gets on the pitch he’s expected to do something so special to warrant a place in the side the next game.
“He can’t say: ‘I’ve played the last 12 games, I’ve had eight good, three average and one bad.’ He hasn’t got that in the locker, so he’s putting himself under pressure every time.
“It’s not just him putting himself under pressure. The crowd are putting him under pressure, the manager, his players around him. All inadvertently because they want him to do so well.”
Mesut Ozil started against BATE on Thursday night but was back on the bench against Spurs at the weekend. None of that was surprising given how he has been used this season but it is worth noting that when Unai Emery wanted to see out the 1-0 lead Arsenal had, away from home, against Spurs, he turned to the German.
That’s hardly a sign that the manager doesn’t trust the German.
Could it be he really did have injury and illness problems all season?
Perhaps the traumatic summer he endured at the hands of his national team affected him more than most are prepared to accept?
Whatever it is, Ozil looks like he will be staying and I, for one, am delighted about that.