‘Twitchy’ Arsenal fans are close to turning on Emery over him freezing out Ozil, says club legend Lee Dixon
LEE DIXON has warned Unai Emery that Arsenal fans could turn on him over the Mesut Ozil situation.
The German, 30, has been out of action for the Gunners' last three games and has not played 90 minutes for nearly two months.
According to Arsenal, Ozil is nursing an injury, but the club have released footage of him with his first-team pals in training.
And Dixon has warned Emery over making a rod for his own back if they crash out of the Europa League after losing 1-0 at BATE Borisov in the first leg.
He told t: "It’s going to take time, I know it’s an easy thing to say, but a new manager coming in has got to be given time as well and he’s had his handcuffs on as well behind his back, he’s got the problem with Ozil.
"I thought he’s dealt with the Ozil situation pretty well, to be honest, with the media situation and how it’s been. How he’s talked about it and how he’s left him out.
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"But now the fans have started to get twitchy saying: ‘look, you’ve done that little bit of keeping him out the side and then trying to educate him on what is needed to get in the side, but we don’t care anymore.
'We just want some quality in there.'
"Because they’ve seen the likes of Alexis [Sanchez] leaving the club, and they’ve seen Ramsey leaving in the summer, and they’re now looking and saying: ‘where is the creativity from midfield?’
"That’s a real big problem for Arsenal at the moment."
Arsenal face BATE in the return leg as they welcome former midfield Alexander Hleb, 37, back to the Emirates for the Belarus side.
They then host Southampton at the Emirates in the Premier League on Sunday.