Mesut Ozil has taken to social media to blast Arsenal after they decided against including the superstar in their 25-man Premier League squad.
The attacking midfielder expressed that he’s very ‘disappointed’ after the news, whilst essentially suggesting that he’s been snaked by Arsenal after showing ‘loyalty’ to the club for years.
Ozil has looked like a complete shadow of his former self since he became Arsenal’s highest-paid player when he put to paper on a £350,000-a-week contract back in January 2018, as per BBC Sport.
Ozil’s contract expires next summer, with relations between the club and player seemingly getting worse and worse as each day passes.
The next round of squad registration will be in January after the transfer window opens, so Ozil could theoretically return, but we doubt that’s on the cards given how things have gone recently.
Here’s the 32-year-old’s statement in full:
“This is a difficult message to write to the Arsenal fans that I’ve played for over the past few years. I’m really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being.”
“Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated.”
“As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays. I’ve always tried to remain positive from week to week that there’s maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again.”
“That’s why I kept silent so far. Before the Coronavirus break I was really happy with the development under our new coach Mikel Arteta – we’ve been on a positive way and I would say my performances were on a really good level.”
“But then things changed, again, and I was not longer allowed to play football for Arsenal.”
“What else can I say? London still feels like home, I still have many good friends in this team, and I still feel a strong connection with the fans of this club.”
“No matter what, I will keep fighting for my chance and not let my 8th season at Arsenal end like this.”
“(Praying emojis X 2) I can promise you that this hard decision won’t change anything in my mindset – I will continue to train as best as I can and wherever possible use my voice against inhumanity and for justice.”
This comes just weeks after it was reported that Ozil rejected a lucrative contract worth €20m per season to play in Qatar, with political reasons being the 32-year-old’s reason for doing so.
Ozil has also not been registered for the Europa League, the World Cup winner has not even been part of a single matchday squad so far this season, with that run now spanning to 18 games.
The playmaker looked like he was becoming an important player for the Gunners once more after Mikel Arteta first took over, but he’s since been cast aside again.
Perhaps the club have done this in an effort to force Ozil into securing a transfer elsewhere.
Sky Sports report that the Qatar window is open to October 25, the UAE one could be reopened for a month and the MLS window will close on October 29.
As I’ve touched on above though, Qatar will not be considered by Ozil owing to their stressed relations with Turkey, so the MLS could be the only realistic option if the UAE window isn’t reopened.
With Ozil adding that London ‘still feels like home’ and the star being shown the exit door for some time now, it’s hard to believe why he’d pursue an exit now when he’s rejected so on many occasions.