The future looks bleak for Mesut Ozil. The Arsenal playmaker has been shunned to the side-lines by manager Unai Emery and bookmakers are swiftly amending their prices on where the German star might end up before the January transfer window closes.
Despite boasting an outrageous amount of talent, Ozil has struggled to convince critics of his worth and it is difficult to comprehend how a player of his prodigious ability has scored just three goals and laid on one assist in thirteen Premier League games this season.
The astronomical wages of a rumoured £350k-a-week do little to endear Ozil to the common football follower and the fact that Arsenal have paid £1.9m for every goal or assist he has provided since the season started will do little to convince Gunners fans of his worth.
It seems as if Unai Emery has lost patience with the player too as the Daily Mail are reporting that the Arsenal manager wants to sell Ozil in order to free up funds for new signings before the end of the month.
It has been a dramatic fall from grace for Ozil, who has actually been Arsenal captain in five of his thirteen league games this term, but it is telling that he has completed 90 minutes on just six occasions and only once since November.
The 30-year-old is expendable and bookmakers are struggling to decide where he could end up next. Inter Milan are 7/1 or 11/1 to snap Ozil up, depending on which bookmaker you choose, while AC Milan are around 14/1.
Interestingly, Manchester United are 9/1 (with Unibet) and there is the intriguing possibility of the Red Devils snapping up yet another Arsenal player.
United have a long and proud (or should that be dubious?) history when it comes to transfer dealings with Arsenal as they signed Robin van Persie, who went on to become a Premier League winner at Old Trafford, while the likes of Mikael Silvestre and Danny Welbeck have headed the other way. And who could forget perhaps the worst swap deal in history involving Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan?
Another controversial swap deal could be in the offing if Ozil were to join up with United as the German would offer a bit of invention to a Manchester United squad whose midfield options include the pedestrian Fred, Marouane Fellaini, Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera, while Juan Mata could be offered as part of a cash-plus-player deal.
Mata is yet to sign a new contract and his current deal expires at the end of the season. The Spaniard has previous with Emery too as he made 141 appearances for Valencia when Emery was manager, scoring 37 goals and laying on 50 assists in the process.
Mata, 30, is exactly the kind of reliable head that Emery needs to complement the fledgling Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi in the centre of his midfield, particularly with Aaron Ramsey seemingly on his way out of The Emirates. An elder statesman with experience of the Premier League who can guide younger heads is exactly what is needed at Arsenal right now and it is clear that Emery doesn't believe Ozil is that man.
Mata is a player that Emery knows well and could trust. It could be a swap deal that benefits all parties, particularly Arsenal.
Games: 212
Goals: 41
Assists: 73
Unai Emery is considering solving money woes by letting Mesut Ozil go, he is Arsenal's highest-earning player on a £350,000-a-week contract.
