Mesut Özil says people around Arsenal are “really missing” Arsene Wenger

#WengerIn

Mesut Özil has poured fuel on the dumpster fire that is Arsenal Football Club with a tweet, claiming people around the club are "really missing" former manager Arsene Wenger. Özil has not played for Arsenal since March, before the first national lockdown brought the football season to a halt. When football resumed, Mikel Arteta banished him to the fringes and then omitted the playmaker from his Premier League and Champions League squads. Since then, Arsenal have struggled for form, as they linger in 15th having not won a league game since early November. The two are not necessarily related, but Özil has become a lightning rod for the anxiety among Arsenal fans, with many claiming he should return to the side (he literally can't, but still) to inject some creativity into the team. If that is to happen, his relationship with with the club will have to be rebuilt from scratch. And this tweet will have done nothing to appease the club. The post came as part of a Q&A with his Twitter following, as one follower asked: "Do you consider Arsene Wenger as a father figure?" Özil replied: "He was really a fantastic manager – yeah, and also like a father figure for me and many other players... I think many people around Arsenal are really missing him." https://twitter.com/MesutOzil1088/status/1341829855206400000 He was later asked whether he was happy at Arsenal, the sort of question you'd think he might avoid answering. But he replied, saying: "It's a very difficult time for everyone around the club - not just for me. The situation is frustrating for everyone. Of course I wish I could help the team especially right now, but as long as I don't get the chance I just hope we get better results very soon again." Translation: No, but I hope we don't go down. https://twitter.com/MesutOzil1088/status/1341830985105760259