Arsenal legend Lauren has delivered a damning assessment of Mesut Ozil and says the Fenerbahce-bound star cannot claim to be a "top player".
Ozil is set to join Fenerbahce in the coming days after agreeing to cut short his time at Arsenal in order to start afresh.
The alternative for the 32-year-old was to sit on the sidelines until the end of the season and see out his contract after being frozen out of first-team affairs.
But Lauren - who formed part of Arsenal's great 'Invincibles' side - believes no manager would snub a player of Ozil's stature unless he had nothing further to offer the team.
“Sometimes you have to reach an agreement with the player and find the best thing for both – the club and player," Lauren told Stadium Astro . “I believe there is something going on that we didn’t know about.
"There are two sides – when you are a top player and you have such quality as Ozil, if you don’t play with [Unai] Emery and you don’t play with [Mikel] Arteta, do we have to blame the manager or the club? I don’t believe so.
“If you are a top player and are consistent week in, week out then there is no manager that is going to have you on the sideline and leave you out. That would put pressure on the manager.
“The best players at Real Madrid and Barcelona, would the manager put them on the bench week in, week out? I don’t believe so.
“When you are a top player, there is no manager that can put you on the bench, it’s impossible."
Ozil's contribution to Arsenal has weakened over recent seasons, and he has not featured for the club since March.
The decision by Arteta not to include the playmaker in the club's 25-man squad for the Premier League and Champions League was the final straw and gave Ozil little option but to seek a move elsewhere.
Arteta has stood firm in the face of calls to bring Ozil back into the fold, and Lauren backs his decision.
Can Ozil be considered a top player? Have your say below.
“If the manager doesn’t count on a player, the player has to find a solution," he added.
“The best solution for him is to move away and find a place where he can be the leader, he is going to feel comfortable and at home. This is the best news for both sides.
“For Arsenal, they don’t have to pay big wages and for the player, he is moving to a place he can play week in, week out.”
