Jamie Carragher believes Shkodran Mustafi should be moved on from Arsenal for the sake of both the player and the club.
The German centre-back made a rare start in the sensational 5-5 draw with Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, which his side eventually lost on penalties, but he got off to a nightmare start by scoring a calamitous own goal to gift Liverpool the lead.
So far the 27-year-old has only appeared in the cup competitions this season, not playing a minute in the Premier League, and speaking on Sky Sports Carragher said he would be shocked if it didn’t stay that way following another shaky performance.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
“I think those days are gone, Mustafi playing in the Premier League,” Carragher said.
“I don’t think how well he played here tonight would change that. He’s just one of those defenders who makes mistakes and it affects other people.
“When you play with someone like that it makes you nervous. Your goalkeeper, your full-backs… you can’t play your own game because you’re always worried he’s going to make a mistake and are half-covering him.
“I think probably for Arsenal the quicker he’s gone the better for everyone.”
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
David Luiz and Sokratis have established themselves as Unai Emery’s first-choice centre-back pairing, and judging by his performance against Liverpool Mustafi has done no favours to himself in trying to get back in the team.
The £35m signing from Valencia has had an up-and-down time in north London, and he made a number of high-profile mistakes last season which are thought to have convinced Emery that he was not good enough to start on a regular basis.
Mustafi was linked with a move to Italian sides Roma and Juventus this summer, but eventually stayed at the club. He may, however, be one of those to depart in January.
