Mesut Ozil has broken his silence on his exile from the Arsenal squad after being left out of their 25-man Premier League squad, admitting he is ‘deeply disappointed’ by Mikel Arteta’s decision and hit out at the club’s lack of ‘loyalty’.
The German midfielder has not featured for the Gunners since before the Premier League restarted from coronavirus lockdown, but has fallen far down the pecking order under Arteta – with his exclusion from his domestic squad the latest blow.
The £350,000-a-week star has now spoken out on social media to deliver a passionate message to Arsenal fans, revealing how is ‘saddened’ to be left out of the team and that his ‘allegiance’ to the club is not being reciprocated.
‘This is a difficult message to write to the @Arsenal fans that I’ve played for over the past few years,’ he wrote.
‘I’m really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the @PremierLeague 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.’
The 32-year-old said he was pleased with his progress under Arteta when he arrived last year before being left surprised after the Spaniard gradually started to leave him out of the first team picture.
He said his relationship with the supporters remained strong and would continue to fight for the club he ‘loves’ – even though he is unlikely to play any competitive football until at least January, with his contract up next summer.
‘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,’ he continued.
The Gunners, it is understood, have approached Ozil about reaching a settlement agreement for the final nine months of his contract but the attempts proved unsuccessful.
He is said to want virtually all the remaining £13m on his deal.
Ozil, who has played 254 times for the Gunners across his seven-year spell and won three trophies, was also left out of Arteta’s Europa League squad – leaving him without any platform to impress. He has faced increasing uncertainty at the club this year, with fans and pundits claiming the former Real Madrid playmaker’s time in north London was coming to an end.
He came under fire during lockdown for refusing to take a pay-cut on his eye-watering salary, before offering to pay the wages of club mascot Gunnersaurus – a gesture which club icon Paul Merson said made Arsenal look ‘stupid’.
Daily Mail Online
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