Arsenal legend Ian Wright has hit back at German playmaker Mesut Ozil after his criticism of former Gunners working in the media.

Wright, who is one of several former Arsenal players now working as a pundit, has responded to Ozil’s statement, and has labelled it “laughable”.

“Sign a contract, if you feel that strongly about people criticising the team because you’re somebody who is integral to Arsenal’s success,” he said, reports the Daily Mail.

“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 yet? That’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.”

Ozil really caused a stir when he released a long statement addressing the current situation at Arsenal. Amongst the usual platitudes about how much he loves the club and wanting to improve after the Liverpool defeat, he left a message for the pundits: stop criticising and start supporting the club.

The German comes in for criticism for daring to step out onto the pitch these days and has probably just made things even worse for himself. A pundit’s job is to commentate and, ultimately, criticise. Unfortunately, Arsenal are a giant target for criticism at the moment for what they’re doing on and off the pitch.

Ozil is a part of that, as his performances haven’t been amazing so far and he hasn’t signed a new contract. Rather than ignite a war of words, the 28-year-old would be better served doing his best on the pitch and helping improve the team’s fortunes.