‘Arsenal should sell Ozil & join Grealish chase’ – Maddison also worth targeting, says Campbell

Arsenal should be looking to offload Mesut Ozil in the next transfer window and join the race for Jack Grealish and James Maddison, says Kevin Campbell.

Speculation continues to suggest that a World Cup-winning playmaker could be moved out of Emirates Stadium at some point in the near future.

Campbell feels the Gunners need to be opening themselves up to offers for Ozil, allowing important funds and space for alternative options to be freed up.

Aston Villa captain Grealish and Leicester star Maddison are already attracting plenty of interest, with Manchester United seemingly leading the chase, but the door remains open for Arsenal.

Former Gunners striker Campbell told Metro on what he would do if calling the shots in north London: “Arsenal need an all-rounder in midfield, Arsenal need someone in the middle of the pitch who not only can create, he can break the play up, but he’s got legs, we miss that. We’ve been a strong spine for years.

“There was talk of should we go for Jack Grealish or James Maddison, these type of guys would improve Arsenal.

“No disrespect to Mesut Ozil, but Ozil is on the wrong side of his Arsenal career with a year left on his contract after this.

“But we need someone who’s going to be in there with legs, we need creativity, and someone that when the game's not going particularly well, he can get stuck in and knuckle down as well.

“We’re being shown up by the likes of Sheffield United, Chris Wilder who has done a fantastic job there, they haven’t got the quality that Arsenal have but they’re above us in the league.

“Why? Because they’ve got a system and they fight, grab and battle, and they’ve got some quality there as well. If we can’t match these teams, we don’t deserve to be up there.”

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Atletico Madrid star Thomas Partey is one midfielder that Arsenal are said to have their eye on, but Campbell doubts a deal could be done for the 26-year-old Ghana international without further sales being sanctioned.

He added: “If Stan Kroenke invests in the likes of Thomas Partey, you can say OK, fair enough, we can make that move. But if the owner doesn’t invest, I don’t see how Arsenal are going to be able to afford him, unless you swap players.

“I know [Alexandre] Lacazette has been coveted by Atletico Madrid before he joined Arsenal, so there might be some swaps that can happen, but I just don’t think Arsenal are in the financial position to be able to be aggressive in the transfer market, how we as fans would love them to be.

“I see they might have to come down a couple of levels, and I don’t mind that, I don’t mind the team giving younger players a chance, I just think there’s experienced players out there who won’t cost the earth who could do a job at Arsenal.

“I think we need to be more of a team, and not look for the names. We’ve missed out on that for years.”