Arsenal should be looking to move Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka, Sead Kolasinac, Calum Chambers and Shkodran Mustafi out of the club, says Paul Mariner, with the latter said to need “studs in his shorts because he’s always on his backside”.
The Gunners are facing plenty of uncomfortable questions amid their ongoing struggles to deliver positive results and performances in 2019-20.
Many of those are being aimed in the direction of under-fire manager Unai Emery, but supposed stars on the field are also attracting plenty of criticism.
Xhaka has been stripped of the club captaincy after hitting out at disgruntled supporters, Ozil has seen limited game time, Chambers is considered to lack the required quality and Kolasinac faces fierce competition for places at left-back.
German defender Mustafi is another who has failed to convince throughout his time in north London and ex-Arsenal forward Mariner believes sweeping changes are required at Emirates Stadium.
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He told ESPN of Mustafi: “When he came to the football club, what we do is we get on WyScout and we look at what body of work a player has done.
“I looked at the body of work that he’s done and I said he needs to have studs in his shorts because he’s always on his backside.
“You look at his gear when he’s playing football, his shorts are absolutely full of grass stains and mud - he’s always on his backside, he doesn’t know how to defend properly. He’s got to go.”
He added on Xhaka: “[Everyone] knows my feelings about this guy. I don’t think he’s got any qualities that you want at a club like Arsenal.
“I think he went way too far with what he did with the crowd, I think he’s done at the football club.
“Talking on the football side, I don’t know what he brings to the table, I really don’t. Go.”
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On World Cup winner Ozil, Mariner said: “All I can judge him on is what he is as a footballer. What I see as a footballer, when he was playing for Germany, when he’s been playing for Arsenal in the past, he’s fantastic.
“At the present moment he’s an absolute shadow. As soon as he signed his contract he’s been a shadow of his former self. I’m going to let him go.”
He added on Chambers: “What’s his best position? He’s a squad player.
“If Calum Chambers is starting in your first XI, you’re not going anywhere. It’s as simple as that.”
And for Kolasinac, Mariner said: “He’s a tough player, he’s an okay full-back. I think what you see is what you get.
“Do you have him or [Kieran] Tierney? [Tierney] all day long. He goes.”
Arsenal’s board have previously stated that they expect to oversee a quiet January transfer window, but that may change if the club fail to dig themselves out of a rut which has seen them take just one win from their last seven games in all competitions and slip eight points off the pace in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
