Ray Parlour defends Mesut Ozil and criticises lack of Arsenal leadership

Editor Sports 24/04/2020

Former Arsenal star Ray Parlour admits he feels sympathy for Mesut Ozil after the club’s highest earner was outed as one of three players who refused to take a pay cut.

**Mesut Ozil has refused to take a 12.5% pay cut at Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images)**

In an attempt to offset the financial ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic Arsenal chiefs requested that the players accept a 12.5% reduction but guaranteed any losses would be fully repaid should the team secure Champions League qualification.

Ozil, however, refused the initial proposal, although he could yet agree to take a bigger cut, but Parlour feels the World Cup winner, who earns £350,000-a-week, has been hung out to dry.

He told talkSPORT: ‘He’s on 350k-a-week but I look it as Arsenal’s mistake to give him the money. You’re never going to turn it down, that shouldn’t come into it really.

‘I do believe if there is three or four players then they should all be named. Why’s it only Mesut Ozil who has been named? You should know every single player.’

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inherited the Arsenal captaincy from Granit Xhaka last December and Parlour fears Ozil’s decision being made public serves to highlight a critical lack of leadership in the current dressing room.

He added: ‘It shows the leadership issues again. In my era Tony Adams was captain, he would’ve gone around every single player and we would have all agreed together what we were going to do.

😠 “If there’s 3 others who’ve rejected it then they should all be named!”

💷 “Ozil’s wages shouldn’t come into it, his wages are not his fault.”

😔 “It shows a lack of leadership… Adams & Vieira would’ve sorted it.”

Ray Parlour blasts the Ozil pay cut situation at #Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/KvDl7BwxkZ
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 24, 2020