Martin Keown had another go at Arsenal and Mesut Ozil as he continues to have a problem with the German despite him not even playing.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - MAY 28: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal looks on during an Arsenal training session on the eve of the UEFA Europa League Final against Chelsea at Baku Olimpiya Stadion on May 28, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – MAY 28: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal looks on during an Arsenal training session on the eve of the UEFA Europa League Final against Chelsea at Baku Olimpiya Stadion on May 28, 2019 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

This week we’ve had Mesut Ozil saying he’s not going anywhere and Unai Emery saying he will pick him (although he probably won’t) so now, of course, it’s time for Martin Keown to wade into the whole thing again.

Few pundits seem to get as irate about this saga as Martin. Then again, that’s just Martin, really, isn’t it?

“I was seriously worried for his immune system, the amount of games he missed through allegedly being ill, or having a back injury,” he told the press.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal is substituted as Unai Emery manager of Arsenal looks on during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal is substituted as Unai Emery manager of Arsenal looks on during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“He has only been given another opportunity with Emery because it looks like he has started to work hard again.

191019 daily mirror keown ozil
Daily Mirror 19 October 2019

“I believe he has been overindulged in the past. It’s embarrassing for the football club that he is not featuring.

“The manager has to get him back into the team but, if his attitude drops again, then big decisions need to be made.

“I feel, at times, he has been disdainful with his team-mates, if he doesn’t receive the right ball.

“To be honest, if he was in our dressing room, there were a few players who would have had him round the throat early on because of his body language.”

Mesut Ozil, you see, doesn’t get injuries like everybody else.

He doesn’t have a persistent back problem, he phones in sick. Aaron Ramsey had persistent hamstring problems, but he wasn’t accused of bunking off matches because he showed acceptable body language when on the pitch.

Ozil is treated differently than almost every other player in the Premier League, not just at Arsenal.

Even if we accept that Ozil is difficult behind the scenes as suggested (there is no evidence of that) it is Unai Emery’s job to manage the situation. We all know some players need a soft shoulder while others respond better to a bollocking.

That Emery can’t unlock Ozil’s talent or find a way to fit one of the most gifted players at the club into his side, speaks more to his shortcomings than the German’s.

Ozil is an asset to Arsenal and Emery has no clue what to do with him.