Arsenal News: Ozil Gets Huge Bonus, But Emirates Stadium Stay Deemed Unhealthy By Gunners Legend

KEY POINTS

Mesut Ozil is still receiving huge bonuses from Arsenal despite sitting out matches
Ozil hasn't played for the first team since March
Arsenal legend Martin Keown said the Gunners need to cut their losses and pay him off

Mesut Ozil has not seen action for Arsenal FC, with the German defender appearing content to sit on the sidelines and get paid. The 31-year-old received an £8 million ($10 million) bonus recently as part of his current deal with the Gunners.

The Athletic reported that the bonus is related to a clause in Ozil's contract that Arsenal put in to make sure he would stay at Emirates Stadium until the end of the agreement they signed in 2018. The German's contract with Arsenal expires next summer.

Ozil has not seen action for Arsenal since March, with speculations claiming that Mikel Arteta and company are trying to find ways to offload the 31-year-old defender.

Until that time comes, Arsenal has an expensive problem at its hands. Arsenal legend Martin Keown said this is an issue that the Gunners have to deal with as soon as possible.

"If you think of the money it’s costing Arsenal… £18million-a-year, that’s the equivalent of the interest payments when they took out a loan on the Emirates Stadium," Keown said in an interview with TalkSPORT. "That’s how restrictive that has been. They need to cut their losses and pay him off."

As of this writing, Ozil may be content with his predicament for as long as he is being paid. Though he was seen as one of the best talents in the sport, his journey has taken a different twist. He had his best years under Arsene Wenger, CNN reported.

But since then, pundits have lashed out over his attitude, with some even branding him as lazy. In all, he has failed to align himself with Arteta's vision for the Gunners.

There are teams interested in Ozil, but the German has opted to stay at Emirates Stadium until his contract ends.

According to an earlier report, one team that was interested in taking him in was Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia. He was dangled a $20 million annual deal, but Ozil thumbed it down. Before that, Fenerbahce was also interested in taking him in to play in the Turkish Super League.