Mesut Ozil Out of Arsenal vs. West Ham; Mixed Reports of Illness, Unai Emery Row

Arsenal were without Mesut Ozil for West Ham United's visit to the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, though the reason for his absence is unclear. 

The attacking midfielder missed "three days of training due to flu," according to Goal's Chris Wheatley. It's far from the first time illness has laid Ozil low, per Ben Dinnery of ESPN FC:

However, Joao Castelo-Branco of ESPN reported the reason for his absence is actually an argument with head coach Unai Emery, per Castelo-Branco's colleague Liam Twomey.

However, Emery denied that claim, per Mattias Karen of ESPN:

His latest absence meant the Gunners had to shuffle the pack between the midfield and forward lines, with Arsenal confirming Aaron Ramsey returned to the starting XI:

Ramsey, whose contract expires next summer, is back in the fold after Emery revealed he had urged the Wales international to forget about negotiations over a new deal.

Per BBC Sport, Emery said of the 27-year-old: "I only need his focus on training, the matches and on his performance each day."

Emery started Ramsey in the advanced position in midfield for Arsenal's 2-0 season-opening defeat to Manchester City. Yet the former Cardiff City man was dropped to the bench for the 3-2 loss away to Chelsea last time out.

Alex Iwobi also started against the Hammers after being in the XI to face Chelsea. The Nigerian playmaker has the vision and flair to offset Ozil's absence in the final third.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Emery opted against replacing Ozil with another striker, such as Alexandre Lacazette. Playing Lacazette alongside centre-forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is something Emery is wary of, per Rory O'Callaghan of Sky Sports.

The Spaniard is seeking a first win in charge at the Emirates Stadium, and his efforts haven't been helped by a sketchy start from Ozil, who was challenged by his new boss to work harder, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

The Gunners are still waiting for Ozil to hit peak form after he signed a contract extension worth £350,000 per week until 2021 back in January.

Missing valuable time is going to be doubly costly for the 29-year-old while Emery works on creating a new pattern of play at Arsenal, and if a row did indeed prompt the decision, another element of uncertainty will enter the fray.