Özil feels like he is a scapegoat, according to his agent

With Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League campaigns both effectively over, fans and talking heads alike are looking for someone to blame for yet another underwhelming season. And Mesut Özil, the club’s number 10 and record signing, has drawn a lot of that blame.

Now, his agent, Dr. Erkut Sogut is speaking out. “Criticism is normal if a player plays badly,” Sogut told BBC Sport. "But Mesut feels people are not focusing on his performance; they are using him as a scapegoat for the team after bad results."

Özil definitely hasn’t played well recently, especially by his standards, but any close watching of Arsenal will show that this team has a lot of problems right now. Unfortunately, his high profile combined with his more withdrawn demeanor on the pitch makes him an easy target for #takes, body language analysis, and pretty much anyone looking for an easy solution to Arsenal’s problems.

Sogut went on to say he does not think Özil will let the criticism get to him or affect his on-field performance. So hopefully he can get back in form soon and help the Gunners get back on track.