Arsenal: Mesut Ozil isn’t going anywhere

Mesut Ozil missed out on Arsenal’s emphatic North London Derby victory over Spurs. Many claim he wouldn’t be missed if he left the club. Here’s why he’ll stay.

Mesut Ozil’s back injury reared its ugly head again just before the biggest match of the season, the North London Derby.

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The timing wasn’t ideal, especially given the fact that he was also dropped from the starting lineup for the previous Premier League match against Bournemouth. It just doesn’t look good. As fans, we can either take this for what it is, a recurring injury to an ageing player, or read too much into it and overreact.

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According to Transfermarkt, Ozil has a history of knee, ankle and back problems dating back to his early days in Germany with Schalke and Wolfsburg. Speaking as someone who has endured similar injuries (and is now quite a bit older than Ozil), the body never quite recovers to 100% as injuries stack up. So let’s give the man the benefit of the doubt and assume that this injury isn’t a fake doctor’s note to get out of class.

I realize that not every Arsenal fan is a Mesut Ozil fan. But like it or not, Ozil is Arsenal’s celebrity. His name is known around the world and he is still seen as a big-time player in world football despite the controversy that surrounds him at the moment. He is the most marketable player in the squad, which is part of the reason he commands such a high salary. And marketability is why he won’t be going anywhere else anytime soon.

Paul Pogba faces a similar situation as Ozil at Manchester United: incredibly talented, insanely marketable, but not always a great fit for his manager’s tactics. Pogba has been in and out of Jose Mourinho’s gameplans while being mostly out of his good graces. He is criticized for poor performances and linked to transfer rumors, yet he remains in the team — and his Adidas kit and boots — while broadcasting his every move to his millions of followers on Instagram.

And while we’re on the topic, let’s talk Adidas. Arsenal recently signed a massive kit sponsorship deal with the German sportswear giants starting next season. And Ozil, being German, has worn Adidas boots for years, with the exception of his time with Nike from 2008 to 2012. Currently, he is one of the faces of one of the top-selling Adidas boot lines, the Predator — as is Pogba.

Football has become a big business, especially in the Premier League. And money talks. The kit sponsorship that Arsenal has agreed with Adidas says two things: that the club will now have millions of pounds more at its disposal per year (2019 transfer budget, anyone?) and that its reputation as one of the top clubs in Europe is as strong as ever.

While it’s fun to play along with Pogba and intriguing to follow Ozil’s dramas, no player should be kept around solely for marketing purposes. Ozil’s performances may sometimes leave a bit to be desired, but the fact is that he has earned his status at Arsenal based on his world-class talent. His influence, if any, on an Adidas deal that bolsters the club’s bottom line should earn him even greater respect and support as well. Like it or not, Ozil is not going anywhere.