Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac were absent for Arsenal's 1-0 victory against Newcastle on Sunday amid security concerns over a London gang war.

Three weeks ago the pair were targeted by knife-wielding moped thieves who tried to steal Ozil's car outside a Turkish restaurant.

Kolasinac, nicknamed 'the Tank', bravely chased them both away before the police arrived, but the situation has escalated since then.

It was reported over the weekend that an Eastern European gang has got involved and rather than scare off the thugs, it's only made them double their efforts.

"We'll rob you of everything," they apparently told Ozil, 30, and Kolasinac, 26.

So serious is the situation that Kolasinac's wife, Bella, has fled to Germany vowing never to return to London.

Two men were also arrested outside Ozil's £9m home in Hampstead Heath last week as a way of showing they're not going to back down.

Ozil and Kolasinac are now under 24-hour guard and a latest report from the Daily Mail says they went into hiding on Sunday.

Arsenal fear that it's going to be an ongoing problem and it could see Ozil and Kolasinac miss further action in the coming weeks.

Both players are "deeply concerned" by the situation, while Arsenal are also considering the safety of the entire squad as of when Ozil and Kolasinac eventually return.

Speaking after the Newcastle game, manager Unai Emery said he doesn't know when they will be available.

"The club is managing that situation," the Spaniard said. "We want to be with them as soon as possible and to have them ready to play.

And when asked if Ozil and Kolasinac will be back for Saturday's game against Burnley, Emery responded: "I don't know."