Dhe relegation of the former national soccer player Mesut Özil at the English top club Arsenal FC to permanent reservation is “a shame” for his former team manager Arsène Wenger. In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, the French iconic coach described the role of the 2014 World Champion as a spectator, which has been going on for months at the Gunners, as “a waste, for him and for everyone who loves football. He is one of the greats. People go to the stadium to see players like him ”.
Like many observers, Wenger, who brought Özil to Arsenal from Spanish record champions Real Madrid in 2013, does not know the background for the Gelsenkirchen native’s situation on the island. “He disappeared from the radar when I left the club. He is an artist. But there is no longer any place in modern football for artists. The real reasons why it is not where it should be are a mystery to me. “
Özil rejects change
Özil had recently not been nominated for the England’s Europa League squad by Arsenal’s team manager Mikel Arteta. The 31-year-old has had a difficult time at Arteta for months – despite a good personal relationship. The 92-time national player made his last appearance for Arsenal at the beginning of March before the Corona interruption.
Özil has not been on the squad since the end of June. The contract of the former Schalke and Bremen Bundesliga player expires at the end of the season. The club’s management has wanted to give up the team’s top earner – Özil collects 350,000 pounds a week – for some time, but these efforts have so far failed due to Özil’s refusal to change clubs early.
Clear words in the direction of his former club: Arsène Wenger
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Image: dpa
From the point of view of Wenger, who left his place at the top London club after 22 years in 2018, one aspect of the negative development of Özil’s career could be the resignation of the midfield director from the German national team after the debate about his photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Have been in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup in Russia: “I’ve never liked it when players dropped out of the national team. Something goes and then dies in them. After the door was closed I only saw players going downhill. After that, none of them went up. I don’t like his decision. I think she was a mistake. “
A World Cup every two years?
Wenger would like to shorten the waiting time for the big football tournaments. “We need to have as few competitions as possible. A World Cup and European Championship every two years would perhaps fit better into the modern world, “said the 70-year-old” Bild am Sonntag “. The former coach now works for the world association Fifa as director for global football promotion. “Personally, I think it’s a step forward,” said Wenger, who doesn’t expect the tournament’s reputation to suffer as a result of the shortened rhythm. “I always reply to people who say that that the reputation is not linked to the time you wait until the game is played again – but to the quality of the competition. People watch Champions League games every year, ”said the Frenchman.
In the ongoing conflict between Fifa and the European Football Union over the creation of new competitions, Wenger criticized the UEFA Nations League. “We have to get rid of the Nations League and find clearer competitions that everyone can understand,” he said. “If you take to the streets and ask people what the Nations League is about, you won’t find many who can explain that.” FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently brought a global Nations League into play – albeit organized by the Fifa.
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