Shkodran Mustafi appears to take swipe at Arsenal over Mesut Ozil exit

The exiled Gunners midfielder is in Istanbul to complete his transfer (Picture: Getty Images)

Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has suggested the north London club failed Mesut Ozil and did not support him enough as the exiled midfielder closes in on a transfer to Fenerbahce.

Ozil has not played for the Gunners since being frozen out by manager Mikel Arteta last March and, after initially saying he would see out his £350,000-a-week contract which expires in the summer, is now on the verge of a January move to Turkey.

The 32-year-old was granted permission to fly to Istanbul on Sunday night to complete the final paperwork, saying goodbye to his Arsenal teammates earlier in the day.

Ozil and his family touched down in Istanbul on Sunday night (Picture: Getty / AFP)

Ozil spent seven-and-a-half years at the Emirates and recorded the most assists of any player at the club over that period, though he has not played a competitive match of football in 10 months.

His move to Fenerbahce is already being discussed by his teammates on social media and now Mustafi has paid tribute to Ozil, though he also criticised the lack of ‘assistance’ his compatriot has received from the club and team.

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‘Bro, you have been the most unselfish player, on and off the pitch, I have ever shared the dressing room with,’ Mustafi wrote on Twitter.

‘You will be always remembered as the Assist King.

‘Unfortunately we as a team haven’t been able to assist you when you needed us the most. All the best.’

Mustafi, who won the World Cup alongside Ozil, has similarly been sidelined under Arteta – making just three league appearances this season – and is expected to leave the club this January with Barcelona believed to be interested in signing him.

Ozil touched down in Turkey on Sunday night to great fanfare and an announcement regarding his transfer to Fenerbahce is now imminent, with the playmaker already posing with the club’s scarf and changing his social media branding to the club’s yellow and blue colours.

Arsenal are believed to have waived a fee in order to get Ozil off their books and end the saga that has surrounded his exile, while he has even picked out his shirt number – the number 67, unusually – ahead of his Fenerbahce unveiling.

MORE : Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang concedes Mesut Ozil’s no.10 shirt to Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette

MORE : Mesut Ozil appears to confirm unusual Fenerbahce shirt number ahead of Arsenal exit

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