Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Arsenal outcast Mesut Ozil 'axed' from Gunners' Premier League squad spelling end for star
Premier League clubs have until 2pm today to submit their final 25-man squad list for the Premier League season.
Ozil ‘does the work but he’s not very efficient’ says Wenger
Arsenal have reportedly taken the decision to axe Mesut Ozil from their 25-man Premier League squad. Following the close of the domestic transfer window on Friday, clubs must submit their final squad for the remainder of the season.
Ozil had initially been reinstated to the Arsenal team when Mikel Arteta took charge back in December.
He was a regular in Arteta's starting line-up before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the 32-year-old dropped down the pecking order when the campaign resumed in June.
Ozil didn't feature in any of their games in the summer with speculation ongoing about his future at the club.
JUST IN: Gabriel Magalhaes worry as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta targets top four
Arsenal failed to offload the midfielder in the summer transfer window, but it was already clear that Ozil wasn't part of Arteta's plans moving forward after he was left out of the Europa League squad.
And now it seems Ozil will play no part at all in Arsenal's season in the final year of his contract
According to ESPN, Ozil has been left out of the final 25-man Premier League squad.
Defender Sokratis is also said to have not made the squad, meaning both players will be unavailable to play for Arsenal's first-team for the remainder of the year.
DON'T MISS
Mikel Arteta's management of Mesut Ozil at Arsenal shows 'real skill'
Arsenal star Aubameyang accused of 'massive drop off' after new deal
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta slammed for ‘disrespectful’ Man City call
Clubs are able to revise their squads for both domestic and European competitions in the New Year.
But Arsenal are desperate to offload Ozil in January to recoup some money back in a transfer.
Sokratis too has no future at the club with his last game coming back in March.
Napoli came close to signing the Greece international, but a deal fell through at the last minute.
The EFL Cup is the only other tournament Arsenal will play before the end of the calendar year.
But rules state that only players registered in the Premier League squad - or is an under-21 player - are eligible to feature in the competition.
It means both Ozil and Sokratis will be restricted to playing with Arsenal's under-23 side if they're to get any game time.