Yahoo Finance Ian Wright ‘upset’ by sad end to Mesut Ozil’s career at Arsenal
Ian Wright says the manner of Mesut Ozil’s ostracisation at Arsenal has left him “f****** upset” and he believes the club should have found a way to reintegrate the German into Mikel Arteta’s first-team plans.
Ozil, who is the highest-paid player in Arsenal's history, was left out of the club's Premier League squad and Arteta has no intention of bringing the 32-year-old back from the cold before the end of the season.
Fenerbahce are interested in signing the German this transfer window, with Ozil prepared to negotiate an exit package with Arsenal before his contract expires this summer.
READ MORE: Darkness of Ozil’s exit should not overshadow illuminating career
Arsenal are desperate to offload Ozil's exorbitant wages as Arteta seeks to overhaul his squad and bring in a new attacking midfielder this month.
Wright, though, said has been left pained by the "sad" nature of Ozil's decline. "Mesut needs to be playing,” he said on the Wrighty's House podcast.
“Whatever people say about how he plays and what's happened, I'm really f****** upset with the people who are continually talking about his money. Money that we paid him. Money that no one in their right mind is going to turn down. Money that for him and his ability at the time and what he was supposedly going to do for us - he was worth that to us.
“OK, it's not worked out how it should have, but Mesut is very much within his right to do what he's doing and it still pains me to know that we've had a player of that calibre and ability and we've not been able to get what we need to get out of him. For him to perform.
“We've not been able to do it, whatever the manager, they've got to, somewhere along the line they've got to take that on board as well. Because that ability should be playing, and I hope he does get to play.”​
