Arsenal: Only one man needs convincing that Mesut Ozil needs to be sold

Arsenal need to clear house this summer, and Mesut Ozi should be the first name leaving the squad, but we still have to convince one man.

Maybe this is the last time I’ll have to talk about why Arsenal need to sell Mesut Ozil. But I doubt it. Even Ian Wright is speaking out now, about the need to see the German playmaker leave the club.

It has nothing to do with disrespecting Ozil, or thinking little of him. That’s an impossible feat. Mesut Ozil is too talented of a player to think little of and anyone who outright denies that he is a magician is either foolish or blinded by his struggles at the Emirates.

No, the impetus to sell Ozil has nothing to do with skill and everything to do with being wrong for this club. Ever since he arrived, there have been questions about how well he would make it at the Premier League level and the questions have almost always had a clear and concise answer – not well.

As his numbers continue to diminish, and as Unai Emery’s vision for the club continues to deviate from needing a player like Ozil, the need to sell has never been greater.

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Even with his struggles, he could still fetch a handsome price, somewhere in the region of £25m, which would be enough to pay for a replacement along the lines of Ismaila Sarr or Hakim Ziyech. And you won’t find many people against him being sold, fanboys excluded.

But the problem remains that it doesn’t matter how many people need convincing, there is only one man who has to realize that a sale is the best course of action for all parties, and that man is unfortunately Mesut Ozil himself.

Rumors have emerged that Ozil declined a move to PSG in the January transfer window, and he has supposedly turned away a move to China as well, all in favor of staying and fighting for his place here at Arsenal.

There’s something endearing, yet annoying about that. With the wages he is making, he has handcuffed the club, and that in turn lead to the unceremonious dismissal of Aaron Ramsey (though that is solely Wenger’s fault, not Ozil’s).

It sounds like until we can convince Ozil that he should leave, then he isn’t leaving. He clearly has power in this sage to overrule anything the club wants, and that means we may yet be stuck with him.