‘Closer than ever’ – Work still to be done but Ozil is inching his way out of Arsenal | OneFootball

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·15 January 2021

‘Closer than ever’ – Work still to be done but Ozil is inching his way out of Arsenal

Article image:‘Closer than ever’ – Work still to be done but Ozil is inching his way out of Arsenal

Arsenal’s abysmal display against Crystal Palace this week showed the Gunners exactly what they’re missing by leaving Mesut Ozil on the sidelines.

Though the north Londoners are functional as a unit, there’s very little spark this season, particularly from the attacking players.


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One can only speculate as to exactly why Mikel Arteta has continued to ignore any form of discourse with the player, but it appears that the impasse may soon be over.

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Turkish club, Fenerbahce, are known to be interested in acquiring Ozil’s services, and if he can come to an arrangement with the north Londoners which is also beneficial to Fenerbahce, the deal could finally get over the line.

Certainly the Super Lig side’s sporting director, Emre, is very hopeful a deal can be concluded soon.

“Mesut Ozil has been one of the most special players in the world for his position in the last 20 years,” he is quoted as saying to Turkish media, cited by Sky Sports.

“If this transfer takes place, it will be a first. I regard it as a very positive move for both our community and our president, but I don’t think it will be easy. We have our own plans. And Mesut has a contract with his club.

“He is a superstar. We are talking about a player who contributes to goals in every other game, regardless of which team he plays for. I will be extremely pleased if Fenerbahce can have such a player, especially while we are on duty.

“We had a meeting with him and his agent. It’s happening slowly, but Mesut is closer than ever to Fenerbahce. The fact that Mesut’s childhood dream is still alive and Fenerbahce has such a dream has made this step so close for the first time.

“After Mesut is done with the negotiations with his club, we will have our own negotiations among ourselves. If Mesut can make a deal with his club on the terms we expect, it won’t be a burden for us financially considering our limits this year.”

An enigmatic player, Ozil nonetheless always gave Arsenal a little edge when he played.

Even if one can’t look past a perceived lack of defensive work ethic, it’s still impossible to reconcile Arteta’s decision to keep him out of the current side given how poor they’ve been at times this season.

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