Mesut Ozil welcomes Mikel Arteta back to 'Arsenal family' with blast from the past

Ozil will now be coached by former team-mate Arteta
AFP via Getty Images
Tom Doyle20 December 2019

Mesut Ozil's future at Arsenal may be unclear, but the playmaker is definitely happy about Mikel Arteta's return.

Ozil had a strained relationship with Unai Emery, who was sacked as Arsenal's head coach on November 29 following a string of poor results as both players and fans lost faith in the Spaniard's ability to turn things around.

Freddie Ljungberg took over as interim head coach, but failed to arrest Arsenal's decline - and despite suggestions that Ljungberg would be given a chance to win the job on a full-time basis, the Arsenal hierarchy have moved quickly for another former Gunners midfielder.

Arteta was confirmed as Arsenal's new head coach on Friday afternoon, leaving his position as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City to sign a three-and-a-half year deal with the Gunners.

Ozil took to Twitter after the announcement to post a picture of himself and Artera in action for Arsenal, with the message: "Welcome back to the @Arsenal family! @m8arteta #M1Ö #YaGunnersYa".

Ozil has been linked with a January move away from Arsenal, with a lack of game time and off-the-field issues making life difficult at the club.

Ozil has incurred the wrath of China by criticising the country's treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims.

State-run broadcaster CCTV pulled Arsenal's loss to Manchester City from its schedules, while Chinese search engines appeared to erase internet content related to the Arsenal midfielder.

In Pictures | Mikel Arteta unveiled as Arsenal head coach

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Ozil has also been deleted from Chinese versions of the Pro Evolution Soccer and Fifa 20 video games, while an Arsenal statement published on Chinese website Weibo stressed that the views expressed on social media were Ozil's own personal opinions.

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