Piers Morgan has criticised Mesut Ozil for refusing to join his Arsenal teammates in taking a 12.5% pay cut.The German midfielder, who earns £350,000-per-week, is reportedly one of three Arsenal players to turn down the wage cut, which was agreed upon by players and coaching staff to help the club financially during the absence of Premier League football.The Mirror claim Ozil is ready to take reduced pay in the future, but wants to see the full financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic before committing to do so.The 31-year-old is now facing widespread criticism, with Morgan leading the negative reaction.The television host hit out at Ozil on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday morning, saying the World Cup winner is the reason why footballers get a bad rap.“Shame on you Mesut Ozil, shame on you,” Morgan said.“So let me get this straight, some of the younger players, on far less money than you, are taking a 12.5% pay cut, a minuscule drop in the ocean for you, and you don’t want to do it, because you want to see how the financial situation plays out.“While you’re sitting on your backside, on your PlayStation every night, rather than actually playing football. Really?”
Morgan continued: “The players I felt were getting a bad rap. This is why some of them deserve a bad rap. People like Mesut Ozil, who’ve just said no.“‘No, sorry, no. I may be the highest-paid player at Arsenal, I might be one of the highest-paid players in the world, I might be worth gazillions, and I might be sitting on my backside at the moment doing nothing. But no, I’m not going to take a pay cut.’”
Morgan, an Arsenal supporter, has often blasted Ozil’s performances for the Gunners.
When news broke of Ozil’s decision not to take a pay cut, the 55-year-old labelled it “disgraceful” while taking another shot at the playmaker’s displays.
“Disgraceful, but no surprise - Ozil's been getting £350k-a-week for doing nothing since 2017,” Morgan tweeted.
The majority of Arsenal’s squad has agreed to the pay cut, which will last until March 2021.
However, the Gunners will repay the difference if they qualify for the Champions League.