The Mesut Ozil transfer saga continues to drag on and Manchester United have emerged as the latest club to show an interest in the Germany international. Ozil will have just a year left on his Arsenal contract at the end of this season and while Arsenal have offered him a massive new contract, he is reportedly going to wait until the end of the campaign before making his decision.
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Ozil initially said that his future at Arsenal would depend on if Arsene Wenger would stay on as manager, because the Frenchman was the reason he moved to the Emirates stadium in the first place. Now however, the German said that his future at Arsenal does not depend on the manager, sparking a fresh set of rumours surrounding his future.
Since moving to Arsenal in 2013, Ozil helped Arsenal end their trophy drought in his very first season as the won the FA Cup and followed that up with another FA Cup in 2015. There is no doubt that he is an exceptionally talented player and the Arsenal fans will be praying that he can reach an agreement over a new contract.
Here are five reasons why Ozil to Manchester United would be a bad move.
Jose Mourinho called him a coward during their time at Real Madrid
While Ozil was a top player during his three years at Real Madrid, that did not stop his former boss, Mourinho from taking a dig at him back then. Ozil recently revealed that Mourinho called him a "coward". Ozil claims the pair were involved in a heated row after one game when Mourinho said: "You think two beautiful passes are enough... You think you're so good that fifty per cent is enough?"
"Oh, are you giving up now? You're such a coward. What do you want? To creep under the beautiful, warm shower? Shampoo your hair? To be alone? Or do you want to prove to your fellow players, the fans out there, and me, what you can do?"
Ozil might not get a lot of playing at Manchester United
Ozil's preferred position is that of the No.10, right behind the striker and if he were to move to Manchester United, he might not get a lot of playing time or might have to play out of position. United have a number of players who can play in that position, including Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba, and the fact that they broke the transfer record for the latter, they would definitely prefer him over Ozil in the starting 11. Ozil can also operate on the wings, but once again he might find it difficult to break into their starting 11 considering they have Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and more in that position.
Arsenal will not sell Ozil to a direct rival again
The last time Arsenal sold one of their top players to a direct rival was when Robin Van Persie joined Manchester United and Arsenal would go on to regret it as he ended up winning the Premier League in his debut season. Even if he does not extend his stay and Arsenal were forced to sell him at the end of the season, they will look to sell him to a club outside England.
Manchester United might miss out on Champions League football
Ozil is regarded as one of the best playmakers at the moment and he will want to play at a top club should he decide to leave Arsenal and Champions League football will be a must. If Manchester United fail to qualify for next year's Champions League, they can forget about signing Ozil completely. Manchester United have been struggling to break into the top four this season, but could qualify for the Champions League if they win the Europa League.
Arsenal too could miss out on a Champions League spot this season and this could be one of the main reasons why Ozil is holding out on signing a new contract. If Arsenal and Manchester United both miss out on the Champions League, he could move to a club like Bayern Munich or Barcelona.
Ozil tends to disappear during big games
The Arsenal playmaker has a tendency to go missing during big games, especially away from home, and Manchester United will certainly take that fact into consideration if they were serious about buying him.
Arsenal always struggle against big teams and while it's not fair to put all the blame on Ozil, the stats prove that his form does dip against big teams in the Premier League. He has created a total of 11 chances against teams in the top six and 48 against the rest of the teams. While his passing accuracy is almost identical, he has recorded zero assists against top six opposition this season.
