Mesut Ozil's Agent Insists Arsenal Fans Deserve 'Honest' Explanation for Exclusion

Mesut Ozil's agent Erkut Sogut has hit back at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta's recent comments that he has treated the playmaker fairly, insisting the Spaniard has 'failed' to be honest about the situation.

Ozil will be unable to play senior football until January at the earliest after he was left out of both the Europa League and Premier League squads. The 32-year-old recently hit out at the Gunners for their failure to show a lack 'loyalty'.

This came before Arteta then revealed that even though Ozil has been completely frozen out at the club, he has been 'very fair' with him.

The Arsenal boss insisted it was purely a footballing decision to leave him out of his side's Premier League squad and, as a result, his 'conscience is very calm'. But Ozil's agent has now taken the chance to slam his remarks, insisting that Arteta isn't being honest about the situation. Sogut further added that the fans deserve to know what exactly is going on behind the scenes.

"Arsenal fans deserve an honest explanation, not [Arteta] saying, 'I failed Ozil.' You didn't fail Ozil," Sogut told ESPN. "You failed to be fair, honest and transparent and treat someone with respect who has a contract and was loyal all the time.

"Every single person outside knows he hasn't treated him fairly. He didn't give him a chance to show himself this season. If he is still under contract, the player should have the option to stay and fight for his place. Mesut hasn't been given that.

"Everyone says he's training well...I spoke with at least five teammates who say he is training great. They say Mesut is one of their best players, and they cannot understand why he is left out. So it can't be the training. If it is not the pitch, what are the footballing reasons? If you talk, you should tell the truth that the Arsenal fans deserve, otherwise don't talk at all."

In December, Ozil highlighted the treatment of millions of Uighurs who were living in Xinjiang. But Arsenal distanced themselves from the player's comments and Sogut further criticised the north Londoners for their handling of the situation.

He added: "You have to understand the bigger picture. The [Uighur situation] created problems for the whole Premier League, not just Arsenal. He expected to get more support from the club. It is not talking about politics, it is about human rights."

Ozil appears to have played his final game for Arsenal | Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images

Now 32, Ozil is in the final stages of his career, but is failing to be given the chance to shine, despite being one of the highest-paid players in England. Sogut has claimed that his client could have left the club back in 2018 rather than signing a new deal, but he stayed loyal.

"The contract was a big commitment for him. He could have left for another club like Alexis Sanchez did. He could have left and got a £30m signing-on fee [somewhere else] as a free agent at the peak of his career. But he stayed loyal."

It remains to be seen whether Ozil will actually feature for Arsenal again, but his agent has refused to accept Arteta's claims that he has treated him fairly.


Source : 90min