A report has claimed that Arsenal ace Mesut Özil had a blazing training ground row with his manager Unai Emery earlier in the week, leading to his omission from the Gunners' squad to face West Ham United on Saturday.
According to ESPN journalist Joao Castelo-Branco, the German playmaker became embroiled in a disagreement with his coach during a training session.
Castelo-Branco's tweet translates as: "I confirm once again the information that gather and I mentioned live in the Open game on @ESPNagora. Ozil had an argument with coach Emery at practice this week, came out screaming and is cut today. Information from more than one source linked to the club."
Confirmo mais uma vez a informação que apurei e mencionei ao vivo no abre jogo na @ESPNagora . Ozil teve discussão com o técnico Emery no treino essa semana, saiu gritando e está cortado hoje. Informações de mais de uma fonte ligada ao clube. #PremierLeagueNaESPN
— Joao Castelo-Branco (@j_castelobranco) August 25, 2018
There is no indication as to why the pair reportedly had a falling out, or whether the incident even happened. However, with multiple sources claiming the incident occurred, it does seem likely that there was some drama going down behind the scenes last week. Arsenal's official line on Özil's absence from the match day squad is that the player is suffering from illness.
The Gunners have got their season off to a poor start under their new manager, having lost their two opening matches to Manchester City and Chelsea. The transition from Arsène Wenger's 22 reign at the club was never going to be smooth, but fans of the north London side would have hoped to see their side show signs of progression under their news coach.
In other news, Arsenal icon Ray Parlour has revealed the reason behind Emery selection youngster Matteo Guendouzi so early on in his career. According to Parlour, the former Paris Saint-Germain coach was impressed by the 19-year-old's form during the side's pre-season campaign, and felt it merited a run in the side ahead of some of the more established stars.