Mesut Ozil has sparked fresh controversy after being pictured wearing a Turkish flag chain as he arrived at the Emirates Stadium ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final with Valencia.

His choice of neck wear, according to the Daily Mail, comes in the aftermath of his high-profile fallout and retirement from the German national team, during which he suggested he was being targeted due to his Turkish ethnicity.

Ozil is a third-generation Turkish-German and earned 92 caps for Die Mannschaft, leading them to World Cup success in 2014 – but he believed he was made a scapegoat for their disastrous defence of the trophy in Russia last year.

He was pictured with controversial Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the eve of the tournament last summer and was widely criticised in his homeland.

Ozil was booed in each of Germany’s World Cup games as they crashed out in the group stage.

He retired from international duty in the aftermath and accused German FA president Reinhard Grindel of ‘racism and disrespect’.

Ozil made his presence felt on the pitch in North London on Thursday night to give Arsenal a foothold in their European tie.

The 30-year-old started on Thursday night as Unai Emery’s side took a 3-1 lead into the return leg in Spain in a week’s time.

In March, he sparked more anger in Germany as he and fiancée Amine Gulse personally invited Erdogan to their wedding as guest of honour, reports The Sun.

And displayed that loyalty once again with the chain before the match against Valencia.

Jose Mourinho has rubbished claims that he is ultra-defensive, accusing his critics of double standard for not condemning Antonio Conte whose Chelsea team was “very defensive and phenomenal on the counterattack”.

The Portuguese coach critics have always accussed him of consistently applying his bus-parking defence approach to virtually all the clubs he has handled in his coaching career.

“You are in the direction of a lie told a thousand times become truth and it is not true,” he told BeIN Sports.

“When people remember the incredible match that Inter played in Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final with 10 men, people say that was a masterclass of defensive football but was two buses parked.

“You don’t say that two weeks before [it was] Inter 3 Barcelona 1. We put ourselves in the position to go there and defend that result, playing with 10 men against the best team in the world, because two weeks before we beat them 3-1 and it should be four or five.

“When I came to Chelsea for the second time and we were champions, we were champions when we were not the best team in the country.

“To be champion when you are not the best team in the country you have to be more strategic than philosopher.

“And then, when Chelsea was champion again with Antonio Conte, Chelsea was a counterattacking team – very defensive and phenomenal on the counterattack.

“Once more they did it by the strategic point of view. But, because it was Antonio and not me, you didn’t mention it.”

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has confirmed that David Luiz is talking to Chelsea about a new contract.

Brazil defender Luiz’s contract expires at the end of the season, but Sarri says the club have held new discussions with the 32-year-old about an extension.

Asked if Luiz would be back at Stamford Bridge next season, Sarri said: “I don’t know on David Luiz. I know that he had a meeting four or five days ago, but then my mind was on this match. I didn’t ask him the result of it.”

A laughing Sarri added: “If you want, I will ask him tomorrow.”

Reports have emerged in England over Manchester United readiness to pay half of Alexis Sanchez’s mammoth £26million salary to secure him a move this summer.

Sanchez has struggled since moving to Old Trafford from Arsenal, failing to recapture the form that led to United making such a massive financial commitment in 2018.

According to the Daily Mail, the final decision over the Chilean’s future will be left to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but United are open to offloading the forward.

United chiefs are aware Sanchez’s £500,000-per-week wage, inclusive of bonuses, will prove a major stumbling block. So, it is understood they are resigned to paying as much as 50 per cent of the ex-Arsenal star’s wages to tempt another club to take him.

United’s preference is to sell Sanchez abroad as there is great reluctance to see him join a top-six Premier League rival.

Paying £13million a season for a player not even at the club is hardly an ideal scenario — but United realise slashing £250,000 a week from their wage bill would be a significant boost in terms of packages they can offer prospective signings.

United believe the best hope they have of moving Sanchez, 30, this summer is on loan. Such a deal would enable them to renegotiate an alternative exit route for Sanchez ahead of the 2020-21 season, particularly if the forward can recapture his best form elsewhere.