"It's a tactical decision because I thought that the players that were with us today were the best choices for this match," Emery told reporters when asked about the Ozil's absence. Asked if he would consider offers from other clubs for Ozil in the January transfer window, Emery was evasive. "My focus now is analysis of this (Wednesday's) match and also Saturday against Burnley," he said, referring to Arsenal's next league fixture. Emery also played down the suggestion that Ozil, for years the most expensive player on Arsenal's payroll and believed to be earning around 350,000 pounds a week, was a star player. The speculation over Ozil's future comes as the club prepares to lose the services of long-time midfielder Aaron Ramsey, whose contract extension talks with Arsenal broke down in September.

Source: The Star December 19, 2018 23:15 UTC