Mesut Ozil slams Arsenal in scathing statement

Mesut Ozil has slammed Arsenal in a statement after he was left out of their 25-man Premier League squad, as he called ‘loyalty’ of individuals into question and said he will keep using his ‘voice against inhumanity and for justice.’

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Ozil, 31, hasn’t played for Arsenal since March and Mikel Arteta has now decided the German star — who is paid over $456,000 per week by the Gunners which makes him one of the top earners in the Premier League and the highest-paid player in Arsenal’s history — isn’t even good enough to get in his 25-man squad.

Something very serious has gone on behind-the-scenes as the relationship between Ozil and Arteta has turned sour, as Ozil called out the club publicly earlier this month and offered to pay for mascot Gunnersaurus to keep his job.

Here is the Mesut Ozil statement in full:

“This is a difficult message to write to 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 was say my performances were on a really good level. But then things changed, again, and I was no 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 an not let my 8th season at Arsenal end like this. 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.”

What now for Mesut Ozil, and Arsenal?

When Arteta first arrived at Arsenal, Ozil was one of the first names on the team sheet and he played really well in the early months of 2020.

Then, as he mentioned, the Coronavirus break arrived and after that he hasn’t played. There have been reports stating that Ozil was one of a number of Arsenal players who didn’t take a pay cut during the COVID-19 pandemic as they weren’t sure where the extra money was going, and a whole bunch of rumors about why he and Arteta have fallen out.

Ozil has a contract until the summer of 2021 and now it’s all bout preparing for his Arsenal exit because Arteta isn’t going anywhere and he has taken the Gunners to the next level without Ozil.

The mercurial playmaker could head to Major League Soccer, Russia or Turkey in the future, and right now that seems like his best bet if he wants to get back to playing. He could leave as soon as January, as he will be free to talk to overseas teams about a free transfer in July 2021.

That said, this statement seems more like Ozil saying ‘screw you guys. If you don’t want to play me, I will still train, stay at Arsenal and show you how good I am.’

Mesut Ozil slams Arsenal in scathing statement originally appeared on NBCSports.com