Arsenal legend Liam Brady has ripped into Mesut Ozil and defended manager Mikel Arteta for axing him from his squad this season.
Ozil has long been a divisive figure at the Emirates Stadium and it’s intriguing to see how this saga will end as the German playmaker is somewhat bizarrely left to sit at home collecting his huge wages.
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Many Arsenal fans will feel Ozil deserves more of a chance due to the lack of creativity in this team, with Arteta’s bold decision not exactly looking like a risk that’s paid off so far.
A lot of Gooners, however, will also feel this is the right move and that Ozil should have been dropped a long time ago, which seems to be Brady’s view.
The Irishman was one of the Gunners’ best players for a number of years during the 1970s, so he should know a thing or two about what it takes to shine for the north London club.
Speaking on the Keys and Grady podcast, as quoted by Chris Wheatley on Twitter, Brady made it clear he backed Arteta over Ozil, suggesting the 32-year-old only had himself to blame for his situation.
“I don’t blame Arteta over Ozil,” Brady said. “He gave Ozil plenty of chances and he performed for a couple of months. Ozil just reverted back to type.
“He’s not a good guy in the dressing room, he’s not a good guy on the pitch. I’ve no problem with Mikel bombing him.
“(Ivan) Gazidis should have let him go on a free three years ago and we should have spent what we are paying him over three years, £50m? – that we could have invested in a good young player instead of having him around the place.”