Arsenal: Man pleads guilty to attempted robbery of Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac

The pair were attacked by masked moped thieves in Hampstead, northwest London, in July

A man has pleaded guilty to attempting to rob Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac.

Ashley Smith, 30, admitted to trying to steal watches from the players during an attack in Hampstead, northwest London, in July. Smith will be sentenced on 1 November.

Smith appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court via video link on Thursday morning to admit to his role in the ambush.​

Jordan Northover, 26, has also been charged over the incident and is due to appear before magistrates on Friday.

Ozil and Kolasinac both missed the start of the season after the latter chased off the moped attackers with manager Unai Emery stating that the pair were “not mentally ready” to return to competition.

CCTV shootage shows Sead Kolasinac chasing off the attackers

“It’s not a good moment to play because their mind is not now 100%,” Emery said at the time. “It’s a very personal circumstance and the most important thing now is that they can feel good, they can feel safe, they can feel calm with their family.

“I spoke to them and decided it was best to continue their resting with their families and wait for a few days to hopefully come and start normally with the team.”

After the incident, Kolasinac’s wife returned to Germany while Ozil was accompanied by round-the-clock minders.

The pair have both since returned to the first-team squad.