Arsenal: Unai Emery has Mesut Ozil-sized balls

According to Telegraph Sport, intermediaries from Italy and China are shopping Mesut Ozil. If he leaves Arsenal, Unai Emery is showing the cajones to make the necessary but difficult decisions.

When Pep Guardiola arrived at Barcelona, he immediately made major personnel changes. Ronaldinho was no longer the esteemed leader. Yaya Toure and Samuel Eto’o were sent packing. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, after just one year at the Nou Camp, was also shipped out. Guardiola wanted a style and he was prepared to rid of the best players at the club to implement it.

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The same then happened at Bayern Munich. Xherdan Shaqiri was told to be not intelligent enough to handle Guardiola’s system. Toni Kroos was sold to Real Madrid. Bastian Schweinsteiger deemed too old. Mario Gomez cut altogether.

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And then again, at Manchester City, Guardiola was not afraid to make the difficult decisions. Joe Hart benched because of the restrictions with his feet. Sergio Aguero temporarily dropped for a more industrious centre-forward, until he later got on board with Guardiola’s plans. Yaya Toure, again, eased into the background. For Guardiola, the profile of the player made no difference. He expected them to perform and execute in the manner that he demanded. If he believed they couldn’t, they were sold.

These difficult but necessary decisions have been integral to the relentless success that he has mastered at all of these clubs. Xavi and Andres Iniesta replaced Ronaldinho and Toure at Barcelona. Tiago Alcantara became the beating heart of the Bayern midfield. Ederson replaced Hart and revolutionised City’s playing-out-from-the-back style. They are the same type of decisions that Unai Emery is now making at Arsenal with regards to one Mesut Ozil.

Ozil is very much the Ronaldinho or Zlatan-type figure at Arsenal. The highest-paid player. The most talented, highly-regarded footballer at the club. The central piece of the previous regime. But Emery almost immediately decided that he did not fit the style that he wanted to implement. The high-energy, mobile midfield that he is looking for will not be found in Ozil.

And so, it is looking increasingly likely that Ozil will depart. Indeed, this week, Telegraph Sport reported that intermediaries linked with Italy and China are shopping Ozil to series of clubs, though there is no confirmation that such intermediaries are connected to Arsenal. Ridding of the £350,000-a-week wages will be a key priority for the club this summer should Emery decide that he does not want Ozil.

That is not an easy decision to make — and make no mistake about it, the club would have much rather Emery side with Ozil being a key part of his project, rather than having to now try and sell him and his eye-watering wages. Lesser individuals would have folded under the weight of profile and player power. But not Emery.

Like Guardiola, he has laid down the law: it is his way or the highway. Emery has shown his cojones to make the difficult decision. Ozil, meanwhile, should probably start packing his bags.