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In an interview with Sky Sports after his side's ejection from the Carabao Cup at the hands of rivals Spurs, Unai Emery was tight-lipped on the future of Mesut Ozil - the German was, once again, a surprise omission from the starting XI.

With Emery's refusal to comment on whether his number 10 will remain at the Emirates, as well as the fact that Aaron Ramsey is still set to depart in the summer, Arsenal must sign Isco at all costs.

What's the word?

Well, speaking to Sky Sports, the Gunners boss had this to say when asked if he would be open to letting Ozil leave in January:

"My focus now is analyzing this match and also Saturday, Burnley is very important. Tomorrow we are going to train with every player. I am thinking about Saturday and not thinking about another situation."

The 47-year-old's words surely don't make pleasant reading for Arsenal fans. Ozil went on to feature in the 3-1 win over Burnley, but that marked just his first Premier League start since November 11th. The former Sevilla boss has hinted that the 30-year-old maestro lacks the physical attributes to be effective in his system and continues to opt for Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan instead.

So, with the former Real Madrid man's future uncertain and Ramsey still in contract limbo, a new creator must be brought in to fill the void that will undoubtedly be exposed by the end of the season. Isco wants out of the Bernabeu and Arsenal would be wise to turn their mere interest into a relentless attempt to sign the Spaniard.

Unsettled Isco

Los Blancos suffered their heaviest ever home defeat in the Champions League earlier this month as they slumped to a shock 3-0 defeat to CSKA Moscow and Isco took the brunt of the fans' frustrations as he was booed throughout the second half after a poor decision in front of goal.

With Manchester City and Pep Guardiola now pulling out of the race for the playmaker, Arsenal have a much clearer path to his signature and must move to make the £81m-rated man their new creative hub next year. Should the Gunners get their man, cooling the interest could be Guardiola's biggest blunder to date - if not for the sheer fact it will strengthen a Premier League rival that are no doubt on the up under Emery's tutelage.

Playmaker FC believes Arsenal fans won't have to wait long to see Unai Emery's long-term ambitions for the club come to fruition. Watch the video above to find out why...