Mesut Ozil's demise from Arsenal's playmaker-in-chief into 2020 exile has been one of the most dominant sub plots of the season so far. 

When Arsenal fail to score, Mikel Arteta's decision to omit the German from his Premier League squad naturally comes under fire. 

When Arsenal win, however, vindication belongs to the Spaniard. 

It's the issue that just won't go away, one that continues to linger at the Emirates Stadium - always just one bad result away from being re-introduced as salient talking point.

Everyone wants to have their say and position themselves on one side of the Ozil fence. 

And with Ozil just about to enter the final six months of his contract, Gunners legend Liam Brady has delivered his thoughts on the ongoing situation.

While speaking on the Keys and Gray podcast, as reported by football.london correspondent Chris Wheatley, Brady defended Arteta's decision to ostracise him from the senior squad this season and suggested the club should have offloaded him three years ago. 

Brady, who began his career with Arsenal before moving to Juventus in 1980, was a left-footed playmaker like Ozil.

He was awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in the 1978/1979 season and played a key role in helping his side lift the FA Cup in the same season. 

He's more than qualified to talk on the matter, and it's fair to say Brady left us in no uncertain terms as to how he feels about the 33-year-old.

Though he doesn't explicitly divulge into the matter, it is interesting to note that Brady believes Ozil is not a good guy in the dressing room. 

There's little doubt that his performances on the field have left something to be desired in recent years, but his popularity behind the scenes is less clear cut. 

From Brady's comments, though, we can infer that he has reason to believe Ozil is not a positive influence away from the field. 

The Gunners have been saddled with a financially draining £350,000-per-week salary for far too long, but there is light at the end of the tunnel in this seemingly interminable saga. 

Given how sharply his stock has fallen in 2020, it seems unlikely that a big European team will be willing to take a punt on him, even if they can snap him up on a free transfer.