Mikel Arteta makes a U-turn of Mesut Ozil at Arsenal out of a willingness to change

Mesut Ozil is out in the cold at Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta showing no signs of changing his mind and bringing him back into the mix anytime soon.

So this really is the end for Ozil; the club’s longest-serving and highest-paid player, earning a staggering £ 350,000 a week for tweeting Arsenal scoring predictions before matches?

Or is there a way back for the German – an opportunity for him to show Arteta that he can be the player he expects him to be and lead this Arsenal team once again?

The decision will be determined by one thing and one thing only, according to former Arsenal boss George Graham: Ozil’s willingness to change.

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Graham told talkSPORT: “He has to be on a team that dominates games and he has to be on the ball as much as possible. Without the ball … just not. He misses it definitely, not even at the highest level. Without the ball. He’s not good enough.

“With the ball he can be pretty good, but he has to be on a good team. He was up and down like a yo-yo under Arsene Wenger. Obviously he’s not playing in the style of the new coach.

“You play when you have the ball, but you also play when you don’t have possession. It’s not up to the standards that Arteta wants.”

Ozil’s ability on the ball cannot be contested.

The German can choose a passage and create something out of thin air, but when it comes to the dirty side of the game, he can often be missing.

Arteta has made it clear that he wants intensity from his players. He wants to see how much energy goes back and forth.

Ozil, as has been pointed out in recent weeks, is a relic of the present day. He plays a number 10 role that doesn’t seem to exist at the moment and has shown reluctance to adapt.

But as always, and as Graham pointed out, his future is in his hands.

Will Mesut Ozil ever play for Arsenal again? Have your say here.

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