Former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp thinks Mikel Arteta should not feel ashamed to re-enter Mesut Ozil into the Arsenal squad this season.
Arteta did not include Ozil in the list of 25 names for the Premier League and the Europa League. When Arsenal slumped, Arteta’s decision was back in the spotlight.
Redknapp sees this as a risk that Arteta must face.
“There are a lot of problems at the moment in the team, it’s hard to pinpoint which one is the worst.”
“He [Arteta] has another problem right now when people say, ‘Should you bring Mesut Ozil back in the squad?’ For me, of course Arteta has to do it, “said Redknapp as quoted by Express.
According to Redknapp, Arsenal are already at a low point, so Arteta needs to pull Ozil back in an effort to bring the team back up.
“They didn’t create much of a chance. Would the manager look weak when he put Ozil back in? Some people might say ‘yes’. But for me not.”
“If Arsenal lost after creating so many chances, I might say Arteta doesn’t need to call Ozil back. But Arteta needs someone who can give Aubameyang a good pass,” said Redknapp.
For Redknapp, Arteta must be able to see a greater importance than the principle of not including Ozil.
“I think Arteta is trying to make it clear by not including Ozil in the squad. But sometimes a coach has to be brave enough to admit mistakes and accept criticism.”
“Use Ozil while you can still do it. Looking at their position without Ozil, it really doesn’t make sense for me [not to immediately play Ozil back].”
Since joining in the summer of 2013, the German has made more than 250 appearances for the Gunners. Ozil has 44 goals and 77 assists which helped Arsenal win four FA Cups.
However, after Arsene Wenger left Arsenal manager Ozil’s future was questionable. Ozil is not a regular player under Unai Emery, and his luck has only gotten worse with Arteta.
The 2014 World Cup winner has not even played in the 2020/21 season, and has even been dropped from Arsenal’s Europa League squad. The last time Ozil played was when he contributed one assist in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over West Ham in the Premier League in March 2020.
