Arsenal have confirmed that Mesut Ozil has joined Fenerbahce on a permanent transfer. Ozil, 32, had been marked out from Mikel Arteta’s Premier League and Europa League squads at the start of the season, meaning he was unable to play a single minute for the Gunners this season despite being on a £350,000-a-week salary.
It had been clear for a while that Ozil’s future lay away from north London, though the World Cup winner had been weighing up multiple offers.
However, when his boyhood club Fener came calling, it was clear that Ozil’s desire was to move to Istanbul.
Fenerbache made the announcement in a club statement Sunday afternoon.
“An agreement has been reached with Arsenal Football Club for the transfer of professional footballer Mesut Özil to our club,” the statement read.
The midfielder signed a three-and-half-year deal.
Arsenal also confirmed the transfer in a club statement.
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Ozil said: “I’d like to thank the club for this amazing journey over the past seven-and-a-half years. The support I have felt from the team and fans during my time here has been truly incredible and something I will always be grateful for.
“Together we won trophies for the first time in years and created memories that will last a lifetime. The Arsenal fans will forever remain in my heart. I’d like to thank Edu Gaspar for helping bring about a professional and dignified solution in the past few days, and I wish everyone at the club the best in their attempt to continue to bring Arsenal back to the top, where we belong.”
The German became Arsenal’s record signing when he joined us at the end of the 2013 transfer window from Real Madrid.
He was soon to make an impact, claiming his first assist on his debut and ended his first season with the dramatic FA Cup final win over Hull City. Two more FA Cups followed in the next three seasons and he was also named Arsenal Player of the Season in 2015/16.
During his time with the North London club, Ozil made over 250 appearances in all competitions, scoring 44 goals and making 71 assists.
Speculations that Ozil would leave the club intensified in the past six months after Arteta failed to select him for matches.
The coach claimed he was not used due to “footballing reasons”.
This came after Ozil publicly spoke against the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. The club distanced themselves from his comments.
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