Unai Emery has said Mesut Ozil will be back in the squad for Saturday’s game against Burnley and still has a future at the club.
Ozil was left out of the team for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarterfinal defeat to Tottenham for what Emery said were “tactical reasons” but the coach is ready to bring the midfielder back ahead of the festive period.
Asked whether Ozil would play against Burnley, Emery told a news conference: “Yeah.
“I want every player with a good mentality for helping us and give us his quality and characteristic, and we need Mesut Ozil.
“I spoke with him regularly in the season, and I am telling him what we need from him.
“He has the commitment to help us, and the quality and characteristic to help us. And tomorrow he is in the [squad of] 18 players.”
Ozil’s absence from Wednesday’s game increased speculation that Arsenal could be prepared to let him go in January.
But asked whether the former Germany international still had a future at the club, Emery said: “Yes. Why not?”
Ozil has only started one game since Nov. 11 — a Europa League match against Qarabag last week.
He was dropped to the bench at Bournemouth on Nov. 25 then missed a couple of weeks with a back problem, and was benched again at Southampton last weekend, before coming on and losing possession which allowed the hosts to score the winner.
Emery said after the Bournemouth game that Ozil was dropped because he expected a very physical game, but has not explained why he felt the team was better off without him against Spurs on Wednesday, a game Arsenal lost 2-0.
But he said Ozil and the other players that are not starting are all aware of what they need to do to win their place in the side back.
“Every player wants to play and be OK to help the team when we need,” Emery said. “The frustration is the same for everybody when they didn’t play in a match.
“I speak with every player. With Mesut, with [Carl] Jenkinson, with Mo, with Petr Cech, with Auba [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang], with every player. Sometimes individually, sometimes with the group.
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