Unai Emery Says Mesut Ozil's Absence Against Tottenham Was a 'Tactical Decision'

Arsenal manager Unai Emery said leaving Mesut Ozil out of the squad for the clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday was a "tactical decision" and refused to say if player would be at the club beyond the January transfer window.

The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by their north London rivals in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, with Spurs going on to face Chelsea in the final four. As Arsenal sought to get back into the game after falling behind, they were unable to call on Ozil, who was dropped.

When pressed on why the German wasn't involved, Emery said he only had the match in mind when picking the 18 and didn't offer Ozil any assurances over his future, per Miguel Delaney of The Independent.

"My focus is analysing this match and Saturday," said the Arsenal boss when asked directly if Ozil would be moved on in the midseason market. "It was a tactical decision because I thought the players today with us was for us the best for this match."

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Emery was quizzed numerous times on the former Real Madrid man pre- and post-match. The Arseblog Twitter account detailed how the exchange been the interviewer and the manager went beforehand:

Sam Cunningham of the I newspaper noted the Arsenal boss declined the chance to draw a line under what's becoming a saga:

When Ozil signed a new contract at the Emirates Stadium in January, there was much excitement and an expectancy the team would be built around the playmaker for the foreseeable future.

However, following the departure of Arsene Wenger in the summer and the appointment of Emery, Ozil's stock has fallen dramatically. There were some reports from ESPN Brasil (h/t BBC Sport) the coach and player had been involved in a row in August that prompted Ozil to be dropped; the story was later denied.

Yet it appears as though Ozil faces a major fight for his future despite being handed the most lucrative deal in Arsenal's history earlier in the year.

Former Sunderland goalkeeper and journalist David Preece joked about the number of minutes Ozil is playing for the money he's making:

Charles Watts of Football.London said he thinks Emery wanted to make a statement by leaving Ozil out in favour of younger players:

The 30-year-old has only started 11 games in all competitions for Arsenal this season and no away fixture since September 15, which was against Newcastle United. It's evident the manager has some concerns regarding the midfielder.

Having dropped Ozil for one of the biggest games of the season, more fuel will be added to the fire when it comes to the player's status in January. At the moment, it appears as though Arsenal's longtime key creative spark has a lot of work to do if he's to be a permanent fixture under this new regime.