Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DRIFTING TOWARDS THE END
Petit fears Ozil has lost desire and motivation and is sleepwalking towards retirement
MESUT OZIL has lost his “motivation and desire” and is just sleepwalking towards retirement.
That is the damning verdict of Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit, who has warned Ozil he must fight to revive his career.
Petit fears the midfielder – who is Arsenal’s highest earner on £350,000 a week – is no longer driven because he earns so much money and has won the World Cup. Double-winner Petit, who
won the World Cup with France, said: “I think he lost his motivation and desire. He now looks as if he is just waiting for his retirement. “A player losing his motivation happens a lot. We are not robots. Sometimes you get into a new season and it’s just not the same. “It’s very difficult to play at the same level all of the time. If you earn so much money, have already won so many titles and, on top of that, if you have problems in your private life… I don’t know what’s going on in his life, but I can see what’s going on on the pitch and his body language is not good.
“It’s a great shame because I hope he can do something, not just for himself, but also for the club. He’s a beautiful player but needs to be loved. “In two weeks’ time the market is closed. I don’t see him leaving. Where would he go? To China? Honestly. I’ve nothing against China, but for a player like Ozil that cannot happen.
“The club needs Ozil, Ozil needs to understand that and he must get over his frustration and try to fight until the end. To somehow save his pride.”
The 30-year-old has been frozen out under Unai Emery and Arsenal are ready to subsidise his wages to get him off the books.
But Petit insists the German can force his way back into the starting lineup. Ozil, who is of Turkish descent (controversially pictured with Turkish president Recep Erdogan, left), quit playing for Germany after they crashed out of the World Cup, claiming he was the victim of racism and had received hate mail and threats.
Petit believes that has scarred him and added: “Some people attack Ozil as a person, not as a footballer. This is the life of a modern sportsman. I don’t want him to leave Arsenal, I just want him to come back and do what he’s paid for.”