Mesut Ozil Reportedly 'Battling for His Arsenal Future' Under Unai Emery

Mesut Ozil is reportedly "battling for his Arsenal future" already under new manager Unai Emery. 

According to John Cross of the Daily Mirror, the Germany international has been told he must do more on and off the ball by the coach. Ozil missed the team's 3-1 win over West Ham United on Saturday, with Emery denying reports that the pair had fallen out in the buildup to the contest.

"He was then told in training last week that he must work harder as suspicions grew that he could get dropped against West Ham," said Cross. "But on Friday, Ozil missed training with a cold—believed to be the seventh time he has called in sick this year alone—and had to sit out Arsenal's 3-1 victory."

In the piece it's added that Emery's training methods have represented a "rude shock" to some of the Gunners squad, while the former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain coach is said to "not care about names or reputations."

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Emery is reported to have dropped Aaron Ramsey for the 3-2 loss to Chelsea as he wasn't pleased with his performance in the opening-day defeat to Manchester City. The Welshman was restored to the XI on Saturday, and the coach got a response, as noted by the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani:

The challenge will now be on Ozil to produce something similar. Arsenal fans will be hopeful he does, as he will be crucial if the team are going to push for a top-four spot this season.

There was major relief earlier in the year when the German agreed a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, as the potential for him to move on for a bargain price or for free loomed large. As of yet, the new deal hasn't been a trigger for Ozil to kick on, though.

Late last season he continued to flicker in and out of games, while the matches against City and Chelsea saw Ozil on the periphery.

It now appears Emery has questioned the application of the player. James Benge of the Evening Standard noted this is not the first time he's pulled out of a match due to an illness:

Meanwhile, as noted by Miguel Delaney of The Independent, if Ozil is deemed dispensable by Emery in the weeks or months ahead, then handing him a lucrative contract may prove to be a major error:

Ozil will surely be keen to force his way back into the team again, though, especially after committing to the Gunners on a long-term basis. Plus, there's no doubt that when he's in the XI and on song, the German makes this team tick in the final third.

Arsenal travel to Cardiff City on Sunday before the first international break of the 2018-19 campaign. It will be fascinating to see whether or not the Gunners No. 10 is back in the first team or not.