Athletic on Ozil: He feels 'uncomfortable, unwelcome and untrusted' over Arteta's treatment
Athletic, a very reliable source, has provided an update on the impasse between the club and the player. It focuses on the German's perspective on the situation.
Mesut Ozil barely kicked a football since the restart, with Mikel Arteta selecting him on just two occasions.
The 31-year-old departed to Turkey several days before the FA Cup final because the head coach made it clear he would not rely on him at Wembley.
The World Cup winner wants to see out his contract at Arsenal and be available whenever the manager wants him to play.
However, he feels he is "uncomfortable, unwelcome [and] untrusted" at Arsenal anymore after being left out of the team on several occasions.
Mesut 'wonders' whether the club want to punish him for his whopping £18.2m salary and force him out this summer.
He is also disconcerted by Arsenal's history of asking him to work out with fitness coaches when he was ready to return to first-team training after injuries.
The club's handling of the pay cut issue also raised many concerns as he feels he was not given enough time.
Overall, Mesut feels Arsenal want to push him away from the Emirates while he feels he has done nothing wrong.
The club's actions only "make him dig in his heels."