Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta eager to avoid a repeat of Mesut Ozil soap opera as deal finally looms
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Updated 23/01/2021 at 11:17 GMT
Having been frozen out of the first-team picture at Arsenal since the return of elite football following the Covid-19 shutdown, Mesut Ozil is nearing a move to Fenerbahce. Mikel Arteta, who played alongside the German in his playing days, took the decision but is hoping to avoid another lengthy saga playing out.
Mesut Özil avec le maillot d'Arsenal, un mariage long mais pas toujours heureux
Image credit: Getty Images
Mikel Arteta is hoping that Arsenal never get themselves into a situation similar to the Mesut Ozil transfer saga which has lasted since June.
The German playmaker is on the cusp of a move to Fenerbahce, having been frozen out of the first-team picture at the Emirates since football's Covid-19 enforced hiatus last spring.
With the Gunners struggling creatively throughout this season prior to the emergence of Emile Smith Rowe, Ozil was the focal point for attention, but Arteta is hoping lessons have been learned.
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"You don't want to get into this position again, that's for sure," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"Not for the player, not for the club - but it's happening more and more at every club and this situation you can see in other clubs things happening like that.
"I think you have to have that communication open, obviously to prevent it as much as possible and if they happen, just make a decision and don't try to delay a situation that is not working for much longer."
Ozil is one of three players to be leaving north London this winter, with Sead Kolasinac having returned to Schalke on loan and Sokratis released from his contract by mutual agreement.
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