Mesut Ozil's agent joins Arsenal war of words, saying Mikel Arteta not 'honest' and demanding club 'tell the truth'

Mesut Ozil’s agent has accused Mikel Arteta of not being “fair, honest and transparent” with the exiled midfielder as the fallout continues over his omission from Arsenal’s Premier League squad.

Dr Erkut Sogut said Arteta has not treated Ozil with respect and called on the club to “tell the truth” about the 32-year-old’s ongoing absence from the team.

Earlier this week Arteta said he takes full responsibility for Ozil’s exclusion from the squad and admitted he had “failed” to get the best out of the player, who is Arsenal’s highest-earner on £350,000 a week.

It came after Ozil had released a statement saying his “loyalty and allegiance” to Arsenal had not been reciprocated by the club.

In the latest developments, Ozil’s agent also attacked Arsenal for a lack of “class” in making 55 redundancies after winning the FA Cup earlier this year.

Sogut told ESPN: “Arsenal fans deserve an honest explanation, not [Arteta] saying ‘I failed Ozil’. You did not 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.”

Sogut also said that Ozil “expected to get more support from the club” when he spoke out against the persecution of the Uighur population in China.

In the interview with ESPN, Sogut also contrasted the treatment of Ozil with Arteta’s final years at the club. Arteta, who spent five years at Arsenal after joining from Everton, struggled with injury and did not start a league game in his last season as a player.

"He wasn't there in the last six months at all, busy doing his coaching badges and meeting coaches for his future,” said Sogut. “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."