Ian Wright labels Mesut Özil's response 'laughable' and questions commitment to Arsenal due to contract delay

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Ian Wright has labelled Mesut Özil’s defence against criticism aimed at him “laughable” and has questioned his commitment to Arsenal because he is yet to sign a new contract extension.

The 28-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, posted a lengthy Facebook message to hit back at former Arsenal players such as Wright who have been critical of his impact since arriving at the Emirates Stadium. Both Emmanuel Petit and Paul Merson have also questioned the German’s performances, while fans have vented their frustration during the recent defeats by Stoke City and Liverpool.

Özil instead asked the former Gunners that now work in the media to support the team in an effort to help improve results this season, but Wright has rejected the World Cup winner’s advice and claimed that his attempt to answer his critics was “laughable”.

The 53-year-old former England striker also questioned if Özil’s commitment to the club was as strong as he preaches, given that while the focus of the fans has been on the future of Alexis Sanchez, the German is yet to sign a deal that was verbally agreed last season.

“Sign a contract, if you feel that strongly about people criticising the team because you're somebody who is integral to Arsenal's success,” Wright said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“You're not signing a deal and you're probably going to continue to hide behind the fact that [Alexis] Sanchez is the one that everybody's going to say, ‘Is he going to go?’.

“Why haven't you signed yet? That's what I would say to you. If you feel that strongly, why haven't you signed yet?

“A player that is not actually performing on the pitch is coming out, calling people out and he's not signing a contract. It's laughable.”

Özil posted a lengthy statement on Facebook to try and explain why he decided to leave Real Madrid for Arsenal and how he initially struggled to adapt to the Premier League, which he admits is much tougher physically than La Liga. But it was his comment of “stop talking and start supporting” to the likes of Wright that attracted most attention, yet he responded that he only makes these remarks about Özil and the rest of the team because he still care about the club.

“We [former players] all feel the same because we're all passionate and we all love the club,” Wright added. “What are we supposed to say? That they're unbelievable, in the boardroom, the boss, and the way they're playing? Because they're not. I can't understand it.

“We're not talking about former players criticising a team that's charging up the league and winning leagues.

“Yes, we've won the FA Cup and when they've done that, they've rightfully been praised for that. But we're talking about a team that's under-performing. Not just the team, people in the boardroom, the manager with his decisions, everybody.”