Mesut Ozil 'fears Arsenal exit in January'

Mesut Ozil is worried that he has played his last game for Arsenal, according to the Mirror. The 30-year-old midfielder appears to have been frozen out of matchday squads, and the club are working out how to subsidise his wages in order to facilitate a move away for the former Germany international in January. Ozil would be happy to stay in London.

Paper Round’s view: Ozil’s time does indeed seem to be up at Arsenal, which is something of a failure for the player and Unai Emery. Ozil’s talent is such that he should be used in almost any club’s starting line-up, but the failure of the player is that he failed to add discipline and defensive effort to his qualities, which should really not have been beyond him,

Real Madrid are ready to pounce for Tottenham Hotspur playmaker Christian Eriksen, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The 27-year-old Danish international could open talks with Real in January over a free transfer in the summer, but Daniel Levy wants to orchestrate a deal where he is sold for cash before that can happen. Real would consider such a move.

Paper Round’s view: If Real are still in with a chance of winning La Liga when the transfer window comes around, then it would be no surprise if they look to strengthen their squad. Eriksen might be available for a cut-price fee if Spurs want to maximise any profit they can make from the player.

Manchester United’s players have found something new to be dissatisfied with, according to the Daily Mail. They report a story which claims that some squad members are unconvinced by the skills of first team coach Kieran McKenna. Senior players feel they are unprepared for games and have not been put through enough patterns of play.

Paper Round’s view: The players may well be correct when it comes to McKenna, but the players have a habit of blaming anyone but themselves for some astonishingly bad performances. Clearly there will be a mix of factors, but there is no guarantee changing the coaches will change the effort put in by players.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said that he would never sell Phil Foden, according to the Sun. He is quoted as saying “We didn’t give Foden a new contract by accident. He is the only player that can’t be sold under any circumstances — the only one. Not even for 500m euros. Phil’s going nowhere — Phil IS City. We won’t be signing anyone else for that position. When David Silva leaves, we know exactly who our new magician will be.”

Paper Round’s view: Foden has struggled for game time this season but the longer term plan seems clear - he will get his chance to be a first team regular. He has the talent to make the most of his chance, it just remains to be seen if he can apply himself consistently.