Mesut Ozil took the easy option in joining Arsenal.

So says United legend-turned-TV-pundit Paul Scholes.

Taking time out from his bore-off with Michael Own, the former midfielder, who quit playing international football some nine years before he retired from playing altogether, said

“Over the years, the big players who were really ambitious – [Patrick] Vieira, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fàbregas, Robin van Persie – have all left.

“They left for the simple reason that Arsenal are not in it to win league titles any more.

“Those players have realised that if they want to win championships then they have to move elsewhere. It’s why I think Mesut Özil took the easy option joining Arsenal. Since he has been there you cannot doubt his quality but at times he looks like he is going through the motions, however much ground he covers.

“He needs a leader around him to get him going. At Real Madrid he had a chance of winning league titles. At Arsenal that is not on the cards.”

I’m not entirely sure how joining Arsenal, a club that comes in for more intense media criticism than any other (at least that’s how it feels) is taking the ‘easy‘ route to anything.

Coming to a club that is just emerging from its stadium-build austerity years knowing you will be the main man by some distance hardly strikes me as the ‘easy‘ way either.

The level of ignorance displayed by the people paid to talk football really is astounding.

The majority of them have no clue what has gone on at Arsenal over the past ten years, they lump all players who have left together although there were very different reasons for all of them leaving, and they just trot out tired clichés without needing to put any effort into considering what they are saying.

Mesut Ozil. 55 starts, 21 assists, 11 goals and more key passes and chances created than I can count (33 chances in the Premier League this season alone despite being out injured for three months, 76 last season).

Sure Paul, he’s just going through the motions.

mesut ozil why so stupid