A repeated target for the scorn heaped on Arsenal, Mesut Ozil has come to exemplify many of the intrinsic problems that fans, former players and analysts find most prevalent amongst Arsene Wenger's teams in recent years.
Speaking on BT Sport, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown singled the German out after Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-final.
Suggesting that Arsenal had been carrying Ozil throughout, Keown gave a damning assessment of the former Real Madrid man's mental-strength:
I bet he won't play again this season. He'll have some emotional breakdown and won't be able to play this weekend. I don't know how many illnesses he has had this season.
In a lengthy discussion with Goal, Ozil's representative Dr. Erkut Sogut launched a passionate defence of his client, whilst scolding Keown for his careless language:
You joke Mesut will have an 'emotional breakdown'. Do you think it is funny to joke about mental health?
Defending Ozil's determination to do well for Arsenal, Sogut questioned whether Keown's comments came from his desire to stay relevant, "or maybe it is due to jealousy?"
Attacking the former England international's capabilities as a player ("He was an Arsenal reserve so left for Everton and Aston Villa because he wasn't good enough"), it is clear Sogut did his homework about Keown's playing career.
Suggesting he was always in the shadow of his defensive partners, Sogut even went so far as to single out Keown's behaviour toward Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy after the infamous penalty miss in 2003.
Comparing him unfavourably to other ex-pro football pundits, Sogut lambasted Kewon's 'hypocritical' treatment of his former manager, Arsene Wenger:
He spent many years criticising Wenger. Then it is announced Wenger is leaving and Keown starts to say nice things about Wenger - and after the Burnley game he had the audacity to go on the pitch with the real, and loyal, legends like Robert Pires.
An astonishing rebuke from the representative of the World Cup winner Ozil, it will be interesting to see whether or not Keown responds to such an attack on his character, professionalism and capabilities as a player.
