Mesut Ozil an 'expensive luxury' who does not want to be at Arsenal says Martin Keown

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is an "expensive luxury" player who wants to leave north London, according to former Gunners captain Martin Keown.

Ozil, 28, was once again criticised as Arsene Wenger's men suffered a 1-0 defeat by Stoke City on Saturday (19 August), with his work ethic heavily scrutinised by pundits and supporters alike.

Keown, who enjoyed two successful spells at Arsenal, was one of many left unimpressed by Ozil's display at the bet365 Stadium and claimed that the Germany international is the "most frustrating player" he has ever seen play for the club.

The former Real Madrid playmaker has just one year left on his contract at the Emirates Stadium and does not seem to be close to penning fresh terms.

Keown believes Ozil simply does not want to play for Arsenal anymore and is concerned that he may become a hindrance to Wenger's side, who are attempting to reclaim their place in the top four of the Premier League.

"Mesut Ozil is the most frustrating player I've seen wear an Arsenal shirt," Keown wrote in the the Daily Mail. "He is an icing-on-the-cake player - someone who is happy to create the chances to win matches but will not scrap and fight for the team. Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp gave everything when they played. They were creative geniuses but were not afraid to put their foot in.

"Ozil is an expensive luxury - but if he is not going to work hard out of possession then he must do so when he has the ball. Why isn't he running at players with menace and asking questions of them? It's not enough just to be out there - he needs to be controlling games.

"Ozil has not yet signed a contract so we must assume he does not want to be at the club. But if he is just trying to see out his time at Arsenal, that is going to be a long year for all involved. He must forget about himself, give his all for the fans and the club and then go gracefully."

Despite Ozil's alleged desire to leave Arsenal, it is rather unlikely that he will do so this summer. Wenger is preparing for multiple departures, though, and allowed defenders Carl Jenkinson and Cohen Bramall to join Championship outfit Birmingham City on loan for the rest of the season on Monday.

Along with the exits of Bramall and Jenkinson, Wenger let defender Gabriel Paulista join Valencia for €10m (£9.1m, $11.7m) last week and is also trying to offload forward Lucas Perez, who is desperate to leave north London in order to receive regular game-time.