Ozil headlines significant Premier League omissions from European squads

 

While Premier League clubs were happy to throw money at new signings this summer, the big boys found shifting players on huge wages particularly problematic.

 

It didn’t stop them from strengthening but it has left them with bloated squads. Now the deadline has passed to submit squads for European club competition, the problems are clear to see.

 

Mesut Ozil is one of the best paid players in the Premier League, reportedly collecting around £350,000-a-week, but has been out of the picture at Arsenal for some time now. Mikel Arteta has even axed Ozil from Arsenal’s squad for the Europa League and they now hope to reach an agreement to terminate his contract.

 

The 31-year-old is not the only high profile omission from Arsenal’s Europa League squad. Centre-back pairing Sokratis and William Saliba are also missing, raising serious questions about their future. Saliba’s snub is more concerning and only adds to his woes so far this season. Arsenal paid £27m to sign the 19-year-old but he is yet to feature this season and could now be loaned out to the Championship after a return to Saint-Etienne collapsed on deadline day.

 

Not ideal for Arsenal, but they are not alone. Manchester United have axed defensive duo Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, while now-fourth choice goalkeeper Sergio Romero has been demoted further. Romero was furious at being priced out of a move away and United have only added to his misery.

 

 

Even Chelsea, who are usually the best in the business at not only offloading unwanted players but recouping big fees, have struggled. Danny Drinkwater, Victor Moses and Baba Rahman remain at Stamford Bridge but have been left out of Frank Lampard’s Champions League squad.

 

Across London, meanwhile, Jose Mourinho has been forced to wield the axe on some of his own Tottenham players. Having once chased Danny Rose’s signature as United manager, Mourinho now can’t wait to get rid of the former England left-back. Rose will play no part in Tottenham’s Europa League campaign along with Paulo Gazzaniga and loane Gedson Fernandes. Roses faces dropping down to the  Championship to get any game time before January at the earliest.

 

Premier League champions Liverpool, who have smashed the transfer window time and time again in recent years, have even been forced to make cut backs. Mark Grujic would have been left out of their European squad had he not sealed a loan move to FC Porto on Tuesday, while Harry Wilson finds himself off the list with another loan move away to the Championship looming.