With barely a year to the end of his contract at Arsenal, Mesut Ozil has been frozen out of the team and former player, Lauren believes it’s the German’s fault.
Ozil has been left out of Arsenal’s Premier League and Europa League squad lists and he has voiced his frustration over the alleged ill-treatment being meted out to him at the club.
“If you have the quality, if you are a top player, if you are not involved week in week out, I believe that is your own fault”, the former Gunners defender told Sky Sports.
Arsenal has overlooked the 32-year-old world cup winner since March. It is belived that his omission from the club is not football reasons as claimed by the coach Mikel Arteta.
The German, who is the highest-paid player in Arsenal’s history, played in every Premier League game under Arteta last season before the coronavirus enforced break.
The playmaker who earns £350,000-a-week has accused Arsenal of a lack of loyalty and vowed to keep “fighting” for his chance.
Why Lauren blames Ozil for omission from Arsenal squad
Having made 159 appearances for the Gunners between 2000 and 2007, the Cameroonian believes Ozil has to look at himself before blaming others.
Not ruling out his quality, he said it’s sad to see him not being fielded at the club.
“Ozil is a top player, it’s sad to see a top player not being involved in a team like Arsenal. All of us who follow Arsenal want to see the best players but this situation has not come from now. I believe it is the same with (Unai) Emery and Arteta.
“Arteta would love to have the best players in the squad. If Ozil is not there it’s a consequence of many issues.
“First of all, it’s the fault of the player. I believe if you have the quality, if you are a top player, if you are not involved week in week out I believe that is your own fault.
“Obviously all of the club have to try to do their best in order to make the player happy and be in the squad and be in the team and play every weekend.
“But the fact that with Emery and now with Arteta he hasn’t been consistent it is not the manager. I believe it is more the player than the manager or the club.
“This is what I believe because if you have the quality, if you are a top player and you are one hundred per cent committed in the team they will play you, they won’t have any other option.
He added that if a player is doing everything that will make him stay on top of his game, it will be difficult for a manager to overlook him.
Lauren, who also noted that its hurt to see a player fit and is not playing said Arsenal remains one of his best team, adding that if a player is not selected, there are many things involved.
“Of course it hurts (Ozil). It hurts (me) because I would love to see the best players in my team. I would love to see the best players playing for Arsenal.
“They’re the team that I follow, they’re the team that I love and I would like to see the best players in that squad but if he is not there it’s a consequence of so many issues that came from the past.”
It could be recalled that former Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, who signed Ozil from Real Madrid for then club record of £42m, said the omission is not only on football ground.
While describing the playmaker as an exceptional player, he said he is not being omitted from the team due to his ability.
This could be seen as a defence from the former Gunners boss defending the new deal offered to the German a season before he left the club.
