Mesut Ozil has had a tough season. After signing fresh terms at Arsenal last year, the German was a very popular figure at the Emirates. He chose not to take Alexis Sanchez’s path and leave the club, instead choosing to remain loyal to the team that brought him to London.
He likely fielded interest from a number of clubs, but eager to continue his journey at Arsenal, he opted to stick with what he knew; and it seemed to make sense. At that point, he was easily Arsenal’s best player, and as a team, the Gunners were improving.
However, for him, it’s all gone downhill this season. Following the arrival of Unai Emery, Ozil has largely been made into a secondary figure at Arsenal, with the German clearly not a favourite of the new manager. At times, that decision has been vindicated – when the Gunners have done well – but there’s no denying that they’ve also missed his creativity at times.
According to the Metro, he said: ‘It’s been a little bit like PSG with Neymar. Neymar ended up getting Emery the sack.’
He continued: ‘He lost the dressing room and Neymar was pulling the strings there. Maybe it could be the same at Arsenal.’
Clearly, Parlour is concerned about the importance of player power, and he thinks that if push came to shove and the club had to choose between the player and the manager, the world-renowned player would win.
It’s unclear as to whether that would actually be the case, as Arsenal as a club are run very different to PSG, but the fact that Unai Emery has faced a similar situation before does raise the possibility.
You’d think, though, that if Ozil was going to cause an issue out of being left out, he would have already done so. He’s hardly played all season, and it’s been evident for a while that Emery doesn’t see him as a core part of the plans.
It’s also tough to compare Ozil and Neymar as far as importance to their respective teams goes. Neymar has become the face of PSG, whilst Ozil is only one part of Arsenal. They’re different scenarios.
Still, Parlour is evidently concerned.
Thoughts?
