Ozil comments laughable, says Arsenal great Wright
LONDON: Arsenal great Ian Wright has branded Mesut Ozil’s complaints about the criticism he receives from former players “laughable” in view of his failure to sign a new contract.
In a long Facebook post on Saturday, Ozil hit out at his critics in the media and told Arsenal’s former players to “stop talking and start supporting”.
But with the 28-year-old Germany playmaker still to extend a contract that expires at the end of the season, Wright says Ozil is in no position to tell anyone what to do. “Sign a contract, if you feel that strongly about people criticising the team, because you’re somebody who is integral to Arsenal’s success,” Wright told BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday.
“You’re not signing a deal and you’re probably going to continue to hide behind the fact that (Alexis) Sanchez is the one that everybody’s going to say, ‘Is he going to go.’
“Why haven’t you signed yetThat’s what I would say to you. If you feel that strongly, why haven’t you signed yet. “A player that is not actually performing on the pitch is coming out, calling people out, and he’s not signing a contract. It’s laughable.”
Consecutive losses to Stoke City and Liverpool, who thrashed Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield, have left Arsene Wenger’s side in 16th place in the Premier League table.
Former midfielder Emmanuel Petit told the Sunday Mirror Ozil and his team-mates needed someone to tell them “not to act like babies and kids”.
Wright, Arsenal’s secondhighest goal-scorer, defended the right of former players to criticise the current regime. “We all feel the same because we’re all passionate and we all love the club,” he said. “What are we supposed to say — That they’re unbelievable, in the boardroom, the boss, and the way they’re playing — Because they’re not. I can’t understand it.
“We’re not talking about former players criticising a team that’s charging up the league and winning leagues.
“Yes, we’ve won the FA Cup and when they’ve done that, they’ve rightfully been praised for that. But we’re talking about a team that’s under-performing.
“Not just the team — people in the boardroom, the manager with his decisions, everybody.” BARCELONA: Barcelona’s new signing Ousmane Dembele said on Monday he had eyes firmly fixed on winning titles and a place in France’s squad at next year’s World Cup.
Dembele, 20, transferred to Barca from Borussia Dortmund in a 105 million-euro ($125 million) deal that could rise to 145m with add-ons depending on his performance, as the Catalan giants splashed out to fill the gap left by Neymar’s own world record 222m-euro move to Paris Saint-Germain.
“What I want is to be here, to play with the world’s best players,” Dembele said in an interview with Mundo Deportivo newspaper.
The best players, he said, “are at Barca and it’s for that reason I came here. To win titles for the team and then to be able to be with the France team at the World Cup in Russia”.
Dembele again played down any comparison with Neymar.
“Neymar is a great player and I still have to strive to improve, to play as I know and offer up my best qualities,” the Frenchman said
“I like to dribble and give the decisive pass to my team-mates.
“What I hope is to be able to adapt well to the team and to know them all, Messi, Suarez, Iniesta... But above all, to have a good entry into the squad.
“At Rennes I played more down the left wing, but also down the right and sometimes in midfield. At Dortmund, it was the same, I alternated wings. I don’t have problems with the position I’ll take up.”
Dembele acknowledged that Barca had been interested in signing him last season, but he said he “would not have played what I needed to”.
“I had only been playing professionally for half a year. I had to learn more,” he said. Dembele will now form a fearsome forward line alongside fivetime World Player of the Year Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as Barca aim to wrestle the Champions League and La Liga titles back from rivals Real Madrid.
He will have to wait, however, until at least September 9 to make his debut when Barca host Espanyol in a Catalan derby.
Dembele announced himself as one of Europe’s top prospects with a stellar season at Dortmund, scoring 10 goals, after joining from Rennes for just 15 million euros a year ago.