Metro Sport ReporterSaturday 1 Feb 2020 11:36 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link7.9kShares Comment Arteta was reportedly willing to lose Ozil had Arsenal bosses agreed to the deal (Getty)Interestingly, had the move for Ozil been made earlier, Arsenal already had targets they wanted to pursue.The Gunners had been looking at Spain international Dani Olmo as a potential successor, but he opted to join Bundesliga side RB Leipzig earlier in the January window, while Yannick Carrasco was also on their radar before his return to Atletico Madrid.MORE: Charlie Nicholas rates Arsenal’s transfer window after Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares signingsMORE: Unai Emery slams Arsenal fans and rates Mikel Arteta’s start as managerMore: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man City Advertisement Mikel Arteta agreed to deadline-day sale of Mesut Ozil but Arsenal bosses pulled the plug
Ozil had been a mainstay under Arteta, though he has been far from his creative best (Getty)Although Ozil is back playing regularly under Arteta – having been frozen out by previous manager Unai Emery – the move was given serious consideration by all parties.AdvertisementAdvertisementADVERTISEMENTThe German was willing to listen to the offer, which would have seen him continue to take home a massive pay cheque, while Arteta gave the transfer the go-ahead.However, the Mirror’s report claims the 11th-hour offer gave Arsenal little time to work out the deal and they would not have been able to sign a replacement, so they ‘reluctantly’ pulled the plug.More: Arsenal FCArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesThomas Partey debut? Ian Wright picks his Arsenal starting XI vs Manchester CityArsene Wenger explains why Mikel Arteta is ‘lucky’ to be managing ArsenalArsenal have tried to offload Ozil – who is the club’s highest earner on £350,000-a-week – in the past without any success, and will not doubt be frustrated that they have failed to get him off their books.Ozil has started Arsenal’s last six Premier League matches but has only provided one assist, in a defeat to Brighton, all season, while he has not scored a league goal since April. Advertisement The German playmaker had a lucrative offer to leave the Gunners in January (Picture: Getty)Mikel Arteta reportedly sanctioned the deadline-day sale of Mesut Ozil after Arsenal received a last-minute approach for the playmaker, only for club bosses to later veto the deal.Arsenal had a relatively busy end to the January window, bringing in centre-back Pablo Mari from Brazilian side Flamengo and securing a last-minute deal for Cedric Soares from Southampton.However, according to The Sunday Mirror, Arsenal could have been even more active on deadline day when they received a big offer for Ozil from an unnamed Qatari club.