German newspaper BILD have given their verdict on the ongoing saga surrounding Mesut Ozil’s future at Arsenal by saying that the midfielder has been ‘deleted’ from Unai Emery’s squad.

The damning piece opened with ‘2019 doesn’t work for Mesut Ozil’, following his omission from Arsenal’s squad in their recent defeat to West Ham.

The creative midfielder hasn’t featured for Arsenal since the boxing day draw in Brighton, and after recovering from a knee injury, his place in the squad looks uncertain.

BILD went on to claim that Emery has ‘deleted’ Ozil from the squad, after leaving him out due to tactical reasons several times.

With Chelsea visiting the Emirates on Saturday many fans and seasoned observers will be interested to see if Ozil will be called to action in the vital London derby. BILD wrote: “There is another chance for Ozil to get some minutes in 2019 against Chelsea, if Emery lets him [play].”

Arsenal sit in fifth place, six points off rivals Chelsea in the race for the final Champions League qualifying spot.

See the Islington Gazette newspaper and website all week for our comprehensive pre-match coverage of the eaegerly-awaited match.