Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Thierry Henry tells Mikel Arteta he needs to deal with Mesut Ozil situation at Arsenal

Thierry Henry has praised Mikel Arteta for bringing "passion" and "happiness" back to the Arsenal squad - but he insists the Gunners boss "needs to deal with" Mesut Ozil.

Arteta and Ozil's relations appear to be at an all-time low after the German midfielder was excluded from Arsenal's Premier League and Europa League squads.

The omissions led Ozil's agent to hit out at Arteta over perceived unfair treatment, but the Spaniard has repeatedly defended his handling of the player.

Ozil, 32, has entered the final year of his deal at the Emirates and Henry has become the latest Gunners legend to call for clarity on the situation.

Assessing Arsenal's recent managerial appointments, Henry told CBS Sports : "So now it was Unai Emery and now Mikel Arteta.

"It's not easy to go after Arsene Wenger. It's not easy at all. With Mikel, I see that the passion is back, a certain happiness is back, he gives them a good solidity.

"Now he needs to deal with Ozil case and other cases, but that doesn't happen overnight.

How should Mikel Arteta resolve Mesut Ozil's situation at Arsenal? Have your say here.

Henry has been impressed by Arteta's start to life in the Emirates hot seat (AFP via Getty Images)

"When you're in a team with someone, you need to make sure you can clear some stuff, because it just doesn't happen overnight.

"So he needs to bring in players he needs to fit his system and that takes time. And on top of that, this league takes even more time because the competition is crazy."

While Henry would like to see clarity brought to Ozil's situation, he is impressed by how Arteta has forged an "identity" at Arsenal in a similar vein to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.

The Frenchman added: "First and foremost you can see an identity and togetherness. Like I always say, a game is long, to build a team, doesn't happen just like that overnight.

"I always use Klopp as an example. I remember when he first arrived he couldn't hold a lead. It took him years to be a competitive team.

"Now, everybody respects what he does and rightly so because he was a hell of a manager."

Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.