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Emery gives his verdict on Mesut Ozil after the signing of Denis Suarez

Sudarshan Venkatesan
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Unai Emery has spoken about Mesut Ozil after the signing of Denis Suarez from Barcelona.

Unai Emery has said that the place of Mesut Ozil in the team sheet will not be affected by the signing of Denis Suarez from Barcelona. The German, who has started only 13 games this season has found himself on the bench or being forced out of the matchday squad recently.

The Spaniard added the Mesut Ozil is the fourth captain at Arsenal and he would have a key role to play in the second part of the season. Even though it has not gone to the plan for the former Real Madrid midfielder, he wants to break himself into the starting eleven after rejecting an approach from Paris Saint-Germain during the deadline day of the transfer window.

When the Arsenal manager was asked if Denis Suarez would hamper Mesut Ozi’s progress at the Emirates, Emery was quick to deny that and reiterated that he is looking to forward to work with the German in the forthcoming weeks and sees himself as the fourth captain for the club.

“It’s no change for him. [Suarez] is coming here because we have a lot of problems on the wing, we haven’t got players to play right or left – that is the reason.”

“I think it is very clear, you [the media] mention it every week. We have four captains, I don’t know if you have come to my press conferences but I am going to repeat it but I think the others know it all.

“The first captain is Laurent Koscielny, he had injuries and couldn’t play. The second is Petr Cech, third is Aaron Ramsey, after this Mesut Ozil.

“When he is playing [with] Cech, Cech is captain; when he is playing Laurent, Laurent is captain; when he is playing with Aaron, Aaron is captain and when he is playing, and another is not captain, then he is captain.

“In our last match, Petr Cech, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey didn’t play, so Mesut Ozil is captain. After that, they are Granit Xhaka and Nacho Monreal.”

Denis Suarez, who has already worked with Unai Emery at Sevilla during the Europa League glory is expected to feature against his former club Manchester City on Sunday. It remains to be seen if he would start the game or will be named on the bench.

“I know the player and he started to train individually [on Thursday]. [On Friday] he was with the group. It’s good, his adaption has been quick.

“He’s a player with quality and I think he can help us with his quality, and also his ambition to do something important here. It’s a good challenge for him to help us.

“Firstly, he knows the language – he can speak English, which is important for us. Secondly, he played at Manchester City with the youth teams. He has a big experience in Spain, at Sevilla, at Villarreal, where he played in a semi-final against Liverpool in the Europa League.”

“After, he played with Barcelona and was not in the first XI a lot of times, but he helped them there and played in the Champions League, in an important team with important players. I think for him it’s easy to adapt with us.

“We need every player to be OK and with the mentality to play on Sunday. We have maybe some injuries but we have other players who can play and help the team with their qualities, with the performances, with their condition. On Sunday, I am positive about the possibility of playing different players.

“He played with us at Sevilla as a left winger, at Villarreal as more of a right winger and at Barcelona, he plays inside and outside. The possibility and capacity is all different.” said Emery.

There is no doubt that the Spaniard would provide multiple options for Unai Emery and Arsenal as they seek to qualify for the Champions League next term. Contributions from Mesut Ozil and Denis Suarez would be vital for the English outfit in the upcoming months.

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