Martin Keown says Mesut Ozil's ongoing standoff with Arsenal has created an "unhealthy" culture at the club, just as Mikel Arteta is looking to make progress.
Ozil remains on Arsenal's books earning £350,000-a-week despite not kicking a ball for the club since March.
He has now seen numerous routes out of north London blocked following the closure of the transfer window around Europe, while his offer to pay the wages of Gunners employee Jerry Quy - the man behind mascot Gunnersaurus - has not gone down well with club insiders.
Former Arsenal defender Keown says it is high time that the German and the club parted ways, with his presence now becoming an ongoing distraction.
“One assumes that Arteta would’ve given him an opportunity and he’s not really happy with Ozil’s work ethic," Keown told talkSPORT.
“He’s not someone the others can learn off. I actually think he’s got a good heart, because of what he does for charity, but when he questions giving up a percentage of his wage which affects everyone else, I don’t think it’s his place to do that. He needs to fall in line.
“If you think of the money it’s costing Arsenal … £18million-a-year, that the equivalent of the interest payments when they took out a loan on the Emirates Stadium.
“That’s how restrictive that has been. They need to cut their losses and pay him off.
“It sends a message to the group, creates a new culture, and allows them to move on, because at the moment it’s become unhealthy.”
Ozil could still see his Arsenal contract paid off to allow him to make a lucrative move to the MLS, although any deal is sure to be a highly expensive one to Arsenal.
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