Ozil's Fenerbahce fall out: It's Arsenal all over again
Robin Bairner
- 1 Jun 2022 08:48 BST
- 3 min read
Mesut Ozil has said he will not leave Fenerbahce, despite being frozen out of their plans, in a move that echoes the ugly end to his Arsenal career.
Ozil last played for the club in March, when he got into a dispute with erstwhile coach Ismail Kartal after he was replaced in a Super Lig game against Konyaspor.
Kartal was only interim coach at that point, but the arrival of former Benfica boss Jorge Jesus is not about to transform the ex-Real Madrid star’s fortunes at the club.
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Nevertheless, Ozil has publicly announced that he has no intention of leaving Fenerbahce, with whom he has played 37 times since joining in January 2021.
“I have to make this statement because of the accusations that have been made recently about my career,” he took to Twitter to state. “I achieved a goal of mine by signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with Fenerbahce, my childhood club, and not getting paid for the first six months.
“I repeat emphatically: I will not finish my career at any club other than Fenerbahce . For the next few years, I only have one goal: to sweat and give everything for this shirt. This is a final decision. As a professional, I will respect any decision that the management makes, but I will always be working hard and willing to help Fenerbahce.”
Son günlerde kariyerim ile ilgi yapılan iddialarla ilgili olarak bir açıklama yapmam zorunlu oldu. İlk 6 ay ücret dahi almadan, çocukluk aşkım olan Fenerbahçe ile 3.5 yıl bir kontrat imzalayarak, kariyer hedefimi tamamlamıştım. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/T59V38B2pV
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) May 31, 2022
Ozil: History repeating itself
For Ozil, this strongly echoes the stance that saw him cut such a divisive figure at Arsenal, where he had a fall out with current manager Mikel Arteta.
He was on the periphery of the squad but was on big wages, which he refused to have reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
From there, he engaged in a tit-for-tat PR battle with the Emirates club and was eventually released to join Fenerbahce, where he now finds himself similarly in dispute and similarly unwilling to give any ground.
