The agent of Mesut Ozil has accused Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta of lacking loyalty.
Ozil's agent Erkut Sogut says the manager has treated the midfielder unfairly and has not been honest about his decision to freeze him out of Arsenal's Europa League and Premier League squads.
He said: "Arsenal fans deserve an honest explanation, not [Arteta] saying 'I failed Ozil'. You didn't fail Ozil: you failed to be fair, honest and transparent and treat someone with respect who has a contract and was loyal all the time.
"Every single person outside knows he hasn't treated him fairly. He didn't give him a chance to show himself this season. If he is still under contract, the player should have the option to stay and fight for his place. Mesut hasn't been given that. Why would you put a player on the bench twice for 90 minutes [against Brighton and Crystal Palace in June] if he wasn't fit or committed?
"Everyone says he's training well. Per Mertesacker said this publicly. I spoke with at least five team-mates who say he is training great. They say Mesut is one of their best players, and they cannot understand why he is left out. So it can't be the training - if it is not the pitch, what are the footballing reasons? If you talk, you should tell the truth that the Arsenal fans deserve otherwise don't talk at all."
Sogut contrasted Arteta's treatment of Ozil with the way he was looked after by Arsene Wenger during his time at the Emirates, highlighting how the Spaniard didn't start a single Premier League game in his final season.
"He [Arteta] started zero games in the Premier League in his last season," said Sogut.
"He wasn't there in the last six months at all, busy doing his coaching badges and meeting coaches for his future. Mesut plays for one English team and that's it because he feels he can only play for that team. He is a Gunner in the end.
"Mesut is not a player who is yesterday a Toffee and today a Gunner. Arteta didn't play at all in the final two years, but they still registered him because he was given a contract. Arsene Wenger put him on the field for the final two minutes of his last game just to give him a nice moment, even though he wasn't fit for months. Look at how [Arteta] was treated in his final two years, and how Mesut is getting treated in his final year."
