Good morning, Arsenal fans. Here are your morning headlines for Saturday, July 11.
Ozil plotting USA or Turkey move
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is planning a move to Turkey or the United States after seeing out the final year of his contract in north London.
Ozil’s deal expires in 2021 and while the German is keen to remain in the Premier League for another year, the Gunners would prefer to offload him this summer, per The Sun .
The 31-year-old has no intention of returning to the Bundesliga after retiring from international football due to the backlash after he was pictured meeting Turkish president Recep Erdogan.
Ozil, who has been struggling with a back injury, has not featured for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal since the season restarted.
Arteta tight-lipped over Mustafi contract
Arteta has said he has been impressed with Shkodran Mustafi’s upturn in form but stopped short of saying he wanted the defender to sign a new deal.
Mustafi has been a mainstay in defence during Arteta’s time at the club, impressing during a run which has seen the Gunners concede only twice in the last five games.
And while Arteta offered an upbeat assessment on the German’s displays, the Spaniard remained coy on whether the club will offer the 28-year-old a contract extension.
"I’m really happy with him," said Arteta . "You clearly can see the way he’s playing and how committed he is with everything we’re trying to do.
"The level he has shown with his performances every three or four days has been really consistent and I’m really happy with him."
"That’s [contract extension] something that the club has to address but he knows my opinion on that."
Arteta could ask Guardiola for £50m favour
The biggest job facing Arteta is re-establishing Arsenal as a force in the Premier League title race.
To do that, the Spaniard needs to make a few significant improvements to his squad, particularly in defence.
And writing for football.london , Karl Matchett believes Manchester City defender John Stones could be exactly what Arteta needs to fulfil his vision.
Stones has been in and out of Pep Guardiola’s first-team at City over the last two years, and the Emirates Stadium could be the ideal environment in which to rejuvenate his career.
While competing for top players on the market will prove difficult, Arteta could potentially capitalise on his relationship with his former employers to secure the signing of one of the league’s most high-profile centre-backs.
