Unai Emery confirms 30-year-old star is available for the north London derby
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said that Mesut Ozil should be in contention to make the matchday squad for Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
The German attacker skipped the opening game of the new league campaign against Newcastle United due to security investigations in relation to the attempted car-jacking incident involving him and Sead Kolasinac.
Ozil has since missed the league outing against Burnley due to an illness while he was excluded from the matchday squad to face Liverpool last weekend with the manager hinting that the playmaker was not physically prepared for the clash.
Amidst this, there has been speculation regarding the German’s future with the club but Emery has stressed that the 30-year-old won’t be heading through the exit door this summer.
Speaking in a press conference, the Gunners head coach said that the attacker is in a better physical shape than the previous week and he should be available for the weekend’s cross-town derby.
“This week he is physically better and he is training and doing normal work with us. He is going to be closer to us and he will be available on Sunday,” he was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
When pressed further regarding the potential departure of Ozil, Emery ruled out the possibility but admitted that Nacho Monreal could part ways with the side before the European transfer deadline.
“We are not speaking about the possibility for Mesut to leave. We cannot sign another player, but we have the possibility [for players] to leave in the next four days. Yes, [Monreal] is one possibility,” he added.
Ozil has not featured in any game for the Gunners since the Joan Gamper trophy against Barcelona in pre-season and he is unlikely to make the starting lineup for the weekend’s league clash.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see whether Monreal starts at left-back for the fourth league game on the trot this season amid the uncertainty regarding his future with the club.
