Mesut Ozil will not be leaving Arsenal. That was Unai Emery’s answer when asked to comment on reports that the Gunners were looking to get rid of the German midfielder.
TalkSPORT is one of several outlets to report that Arsenal head coach Emery appeared adamant Ozil was staying put, despite speculation linking him with Major League Soccer side DC United.
“We are not speaking about the possibility for Mesut to leave,” explained Emery.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
“This week he is training well, he is progressing physically and he is training and doing normal work with us.”
Emery also added that Ozil is likely to feature in Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham, something he described as “good news”.
Monreal on the move?
However, Emery did hint that there may be one or more departures in the Arsenal dressing room in the coming days.
“We cannot sign another player but we have some players who have a possibility to leave in the four days before the transfer window closes,” he said.
“The club is working, some players know the situation, and my focus and the team’s focus is to prepare for the match on Sunday [against Tottenham].”
TalkSPORT predicts that Nacho Monreal is the most likely to leave with rumours growing that he is set to return to his native Spain with Real Sociedad. Asked on the likelihood of such a move, Emery replied: “Yes, there is a possibility.”
Exit for Elneny
Another Gunner who could soon be a gonner is Mohamed Elneny. The Sun says the midfielder is “close to ending his Arsenal exile with a move to Turkey”.
The 27-year-old Egyptian has never won the faith of Emery and that’s led him to seek a new challenge, one which the Sun says lies with Besiktas.
A deal is expected to be completed in the next 48 hours with Sky Sports stating it will be “a season-long loan move”.
This weekend’s Premier League fixtures
Saturday 31 August (3pm unless stated)
- Southampton vs. Manchester United (12.30pm, live on BT Sport)
- Chelsea vs. Sheffield United
- Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa
- Leicester City vs. AFC Bournemouth
- Manchester City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
- Newcastle United vs. Watford
- West Ham United vs. Norwich City
- Burnley vs. Liverpool (5.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
Sunday 1 September
- Everton vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (2pm, live on Sky Sports)
- Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur (4.30pm, live on Sky Sports)
