Mesut Ozil’s days at Arsenal are looking numbered.
The German midfield maestro has been unable to work his way into Unai Emery’s plans this season.
With concerns about how much the Arsenal boss can trust him tactically in big games, it’s hard to see a long-term future for him at the club.
Moving him on won’t be easy either due to his huge wages. However, they could still command a decent fee and his departure would free him a nice chunk in the wage budget.
With that in mind, we’ve looked at seven different ways that the club could replace him going forward.
James Rodriguez
The Colombian was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal during the January window, but it did not materialise and he’ll see out his loan deal with Bayern.
The same links are likely to transpire in the summer window when he returns to Real Madrid.
Like Ozil, Rodriguez would provide that mercurial talent.
Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech could be a bit of a surprise choice for the Gunners, but at the age of 25, the Moroccan star is coming into his prime.
He earned himself a move to Ajax after impressing in the Eredivisie and he’s continued that fine form with the Dutch giants.
With Emery’s budget limited, Ziyech could be one of the cheaper replacements out there too.
Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz looks like he could be the next big talent to come out of Germany.
If Arsenal are interested in him, they are likely to face competition from Bayern, who will no doubt be in for his services as they look to continue their domestic dominance.
Given how highly he is rated, he is unlikely to come cheap.
Juan Fernando Quintero
Juan Fernando Quintero would be a risk for the Gunners, but he is a player that impressed so many during the World Cup in Russia last summer.
His form led to talk up a big move, but it didn’t happen and he is now impressing once again for River Plate.
Whether or not he could replicate that at the highest level in Europe remains to be seen.
Denis Suarez
Arsenal’s Ozil replacement may be staring them straight in the face.
Denis Suarez has a big chance to impress between now and the end of the season and he could show that he’s the man to fill the void left by the German.
Fabian
If Emery wants to take his team down a different route, Fabian could be an option for the club.
Signed by Napoli to fill the void left by Jorginho, Fabian is more of a box-to-box midfielder who still boasts an attacking threat.
The Spaniard could offer a little more balance to the Gunners squad. Given Napoli’s record of selling players, he is also unlikely to come cheap.
Donny van de Beek
Like Fabian before him, Donny van de Beek could offer something a little different to Arsenal’s midfield options.
Van de Beek is the latest to come through in another golden generation for Dutch footballers at Ajax.
Frenkie De Jong has already agreed to move on, Matthijs de Ligt looks likely to follow. It will not be long until van de Beek is also in demand.