Out of favour Mesut Ozil not on Arsenal’s 2020/21 Premer League 25-man squad
Mesut Ozil has been left out of Arsenal’s Premier League squad for the 2020/21 season.
Ozil, the highest-paid player in Arsenal’s history, played in every Premier League game under Mikel Arteta until the season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic – and has not featured since.
The German World Cup winner has been available this season until now but Premier League clubs had to name a 25-man squad after the closure of both the international and domestic transfer windows.
Centre-back Sokratis has also been omitted from the 25-man squad. Both players will only be able to represent Arsenal U23s until 2021 at the earliest as Ozil’s contract at the Emirates Stadium expires next summer.
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Arsenal currently have 19 non-homegrown players over the age of 21, two more than the limit allowed by both the Premier League and UEFA.
Arsenal’s 25 man Premier League squad
Cedric Soares, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin (homegrown), Willian, Dani Ceballos, Calum Chambers (homegrown), Gabriel, Mohamed Elneny, Rob Holding (homegrown), Sead Kolasinac, Alexandre Lacazette, Bernd Leno, Matt Macey (homegrown), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (homegrown), Pablo Mari, David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi, Thomas Partey, Nicolas Pepe, Alex Runar Runarsson, Kieran Tierney, Granit Xhaka
Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk also not on the 25-man squad for the Reds
A knee injury has also kept out Liverpool’s defence maestro Virgil Van Dijk out of the 25 man Premier League squad which was submitted by the club.
Van Dijk requires surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament, which was damaged in a collision with Everton goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, during Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
Jurgen Klopp has also said that there’s no definite time frame set for the defender’s return.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR), reviewed Pickford’s challenge on the defender in the Merseyside derby over the weekend and adjudged him offside hence a penalty call was ruled out. VAR also concluded that Pickford’s challenge was not worthy of a red card.
Liverpool is understood to have contacted the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) over the weekend for clarification on a number of decisions during the derby.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson believes VVD’s injury is a serious blow to the squad but is confident that they can counter that loss, and that the Netherlands international will return even stronger.
“It’s a tough one. It’s a big blow for us,” says Henderson. “For him personally, obviously. But for us as a team, a massive blow.
“I’m just gutted for him. It’s a difficult moment, but that’s when you need to be there for each other. I’ll be there as much as I possibly can for him, I’m sure the lads will do the same.
“But I’m sure he’ll be back stronger. In the meantime, we’ve got to do everything we can to help make us stronger and basically go and win as many games as we can for him, really.
“That’s down to us as players to make sure that when he is back and he is fit that we’re still fighting to be successful and fighting for trophies.
“You’ve got to use times like this to be stronger and to be even more together than we already are. And use it as a positive in some way – I know it sounds ridiculous at the moment, but that’s what you need to try to do. We need to try to look forward and try to help us in the next however many months Virgil will be out for.”
Liverpool’s 25 man Premier League squad
Thiago Alcantara, Trent Alexander Arnold (homegrown), Roberto Firmino, Alisson Becker, Joe Gomez, Joseph Hardy, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Caoimhin Kelleher (homegrown), Sadio Mane, Joel Matip, James Milner, Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (homegrown), Nathaniel Phillips (homegrown), Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah, Adrian, Xherdan Shaqiri, Teixeira Da Silva, Diogo Jota, Konstantinos Tsimakis, Georginio Wijnaldum
PL squads for the 2020/21 season
Premier League clubs have each submitted a squad list for the 2020/21 season.
The squad contains no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the “Home Grown Player” (HGP) criteria while the rest of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be “Home Grown”.
Clubs are also allowed an additional list of registered U21 players.
What is a Home-Grown Player (HGP)?
A “Home-Grown Player” means a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).
Rules on U21 players
U21 players are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players per squad.
For the 2020/21 campaign, Under-21 players will have been born on or after 1 January 1999.
They’re just mad because he refused a pay cut. I will advise him to keep his end of the contract, collect his and leave next year.