Mesut Ozil is “not an asshole”, says fellow World Cup winner Lukas Podolski, with the German playmaker considered to still be “good enough” to play a prominent role at Arsenal.
It appears unlikely that the 31-year-old will be entrusted with such responsibility any time soon.
Mikel Arteta has taken to dropping a midfielder he once played alongside out of his plans for the short and long-term at Emirates Stadium.
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Fresh rounds of transfer talk have been sparked as a result, although Ozil maintains that he will see out a contract in north London that has less than 12 months left to run.