Jack Wilshere defends Mesut Ozil after he was left out of Arsenal’s squads

Jack Wilshere has leapt to the defence of Arsenal misfit Mesut Ozil, claiming he is the club’s best player despite his omission from Mikel Arteta’s squads.

The German playmaker has been left out of Arsenal’s official allocation of players for the Premier League and the Europa League which means he will be frozen out of first team contention until January at the very least.

Reacting to his omission by releasing a statement via social media, Ozil blasted the Gunners for a lack of ‘loyalty’ and that he was ‘saddened’ by his exclusion from the squad.

Mesut Ozil, pictured during a pre-season friendly in September, has been left out of Arsenal’s Premier League and Europa League squads until at least January 

Among those coming out in support of the midfielder, who earns £350,000 per week, was former England and Tottenham striker Gary Lineker who tweeted: ‘Every footballer wants to play. Not being able to, regardless of salary, is soul destroying.’

But Ozil has also found favour from former Arsenal team-mate Jack Wilshere, who backed Lineker’s stance.

Wilshere, who spent a decade at Arsenal between 2008 and 2018, claimed that Ozil would love to be playing and that as the ‘best player’ at the club he should be part of Arteta’s plans at the very least.

‘Spot on Gary, especially when you are the best player!’, Wilshere said in reply to Lineker on Twitter.

His former Gunners team-mate Jack Wilshere has come to his defence over his exclusion from the squads, claiming he is the club’s best player

Wilshere himself is looking for a new club following his summer release from West Ham

Wilshere is also looking to get back into playing following his summer release from West Ham and has been training on local playing fields to try and stay in shape and earn himself a move as a free agent. 

Ozil arrived at the Emirates Stadium to much fanfare as the club’s then record £42.5million signing in 2013, but has had a mixed time at the north London side.

Although he has since helped the club win four FA Cups, he has gradually drifted out of favour since Arsene Wenger’s departure as manager in 2018, who has recently claimed Arteta was ‘wasting’ his talent by leaving him on the bench.

He has not played a single game since lockdown, last featuring in a 1-0 win over West Ham back in march where he started and provided the assist for Alexandre Lacazette’s winner. 

 The German midfielder has fallen far down the pecking order under manager Mikel Arteta 

He has not played a game for the Gunners since before the coronavirus outbreak in March

In a message to Arsenal fans, he praised his connection with supporters and insisted that London ‘still feels like home’

In a statement following his exclusion from Arsenal’s Premier League squad, the 32-year-old said: ‘This is a difficult message to write to the @Arsenal fans that I’ve played for over the past few years,’ he wrote.

‘I’m really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the @PremierLeague season for the time being.

‘Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated. As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays.

‘I’ve always tried to remain positive from week to week that there’s maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again. That’s why I kept silent so far.’

‘No matter what, I will keep fighting for my chance and not let my 8th season at Arsenal end like this. I can promise you that this hard decision won’t change anything in my mindset – I will continue to train as best as I can and wherever possible use my voice against inhumanity and for justice.’