Mikel Arteta's reluctance to hand Mesut Ozil an Arsenal lifeline continues to baffle sections of the Gunners faithful - but there may be a reason behind the manager's approach.
Ozil has not played for Arsenal since March and was not named in the squad lists for the first half of the Premier League season and the Europa League.
The German, who is one of the highest-paid players at the club, is out of contract at the end of the campaign. The club are desperate to offload the World Cup winner this month but may have to wait until the summer, with potential suitors yet to step up their interest.
Arsenal are also looking to offload a number of out-of-favour players on loan in January to trim the squad, raising the possibility that Ozil could
Read more on mirror.co.uk