ARSENAL icon Paul Merson said farewell to Arsenal flop Shkodran Mustafi by tipping him to disappoint at Schalke.
The 28-year-old centre-back had his contract at the Emirates terminated on Monday, allowing him to link up with the Bundesliga outfit on a free transfer.
Shkodran Mustafi has joined Schalke after Arsenal terminated his contractCredit: Instagram / @shkrodanmustafi
Mustafi will now be looking to help save Schalke from relegation, with the club rooted to the bottom of the table having won just once out of 19 games.
But Merson, 54, believes the signing of the ex-Valencia star won’t help Christian Gross’ side as he delivered a brutal assessment of the defender.
Asked by Sky Sports whether Arsenal could afford to let the player depart North London, Merson declared they can, as he referenced the German outfit’s awful form.
He said: “Yeah, and he’ll keep that record going at Schalke.”
Arsenal were keen to offload Mustafi before the deadline slammed shut to get his £90,000-a-week salary off their wage bill.
The World Cup winner is joined by his former Gunners team-mate Sead Kolasinac at Schalke, with the left-back joining on loan earlier in the winter transfer window.
In doing so, the FA Cup holders have freed up a staggering £32.8m-per-yer in wages after moving on a number of big-earning players.
As well as Mustafi being axed and Kolasinac loaned out, the Gunners also terminated the contracts of Mesut Ozil and Sokratis.
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta thanked Mustafi for his service after his move to Schalke was confirmed on Monday night.
He told the club’s website: “Musti has been a key player for us for a long period of time.
“He played a very important part in my first season as manager and I’d like to thank him for his professionalism and for always being ready when called upon.
“Everybody at Arsenal wishes Musti well at Schalke.”
Technical director Edu added: “We thank Musti for his contribution at Arsenal which has spanned four-and-a-half years, more than 150 appearances and a prominent role in two FA Cup wins.
“Everyone associated with the club wishes Musti and his family the very best wishes for the next chapter in his career.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
