Lauren: If Ozil was a top player he would’ve played for Emery and Arteta

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Former Arsenal defender Lauren believes that Mesut Ozil would have been a regular starter under Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta if he had proved to be a top player for the club. 

Ozil hasn’t made a single appearance for Arteta’s Arsenal side this season and struggled to keep a regular spot in Emery’s team as well. 

Now in the final six months of his contract with the London club, the German international is now on the cusp of leaving the Premier League side for Fenerbahce.

And while Lauren believes that there are always two sides to any story, he also thinks Ozil’s downfall at Arsenal is more down to his failure to perform on a consistent basis for the club rather than any personal issues behind the scenes. 

“I believe that Mesut Ozil is one of the biggest players that Arsenal have had in the last few years but sometimes you need the consistency to perform week in, week out,” the former defender told Stadium Astro. 

“For a player like Ozil, I believe he could have done a lot more. According to his quality, you can demand a bit more week in, week out throughout his time at the club. I think he could have done more on a regular basis.”

“Sometimes you have to reach an agreement which finds the best solution for the club and for the player. But there are both sides. 

“When you are a top player and you have that much quality as Ozil had, if you don’t play with Emery and don’t play with Arteta do we then blame the managers or the club? I don’t believe so. 

“If you’re a top player and are consistent week in, week out then there is no manager that is going to let you down and leave you on the sidelines. 

“If the manager at Real Madrid or Barcelona puts the best player on the bench week in, week out would it end up like it did at Arsenal? I don’t believe so. 

“Top players are top players because they do it every week.”