Ozil Turkey move ruffles Arsenal fans’ feathers
So after £85m in wages, was he a failure or a victim?
MESUT OZIL is set to end his Arsenal nightmare by signing for Turkish giants Fenerbahce within the next 48 hours.
The German midfielder, who signed from Real Madrid in 2013, is understood to have reached an agreement to end his Gunners stint.
Many fans took to social media to express dismay at the impending departure of a player who earns £350,000 a week but hasn’t played since March.
MESUT OZIL i s expected in Turkey this weekend to complete his transfer to Fenerbahce tomorrow as a free agent.
The former Germany international is understood to have reached agreement with Arsenal over the terms of terminating his contract by mutual consent.
As Sportsmail revealed earlier this month, Ozil has been in talks over cutting short his £350,000 a week deal — with coach Mikel Arteta continuing to omit the 32-year-old from his Arsenal squads.
Ozil had intended to see out his contract but with Fenerbahce pushing hard for him to join now and the prospect of no competitive football at Arsenal, he is willing to forego some of his huge salary to reach a compromise and leave.
Fenerbahce president Ali Koc said on Tuesday that progress was being made and sporting director Emre Belozoglu added that the ‘dream’ move was getting closer.
Emre said: ‘I look very positively on behalf of the community and the president, but I do not see it easily. We have plans of our own.
‘Mesut also has a contract with his club. He is a superstar. We are talking about a player who contributed to a goal in every other game at every club he has played for.
‘I would of course be very pleased if Fenerbahce could have such a player.
‘We had a meeting with him and his manager. Mesut is closer than ever. The fact that Mesut had this childhood dream and Fenerbahce had the dream has made this step so close for the first time.’
Emre underlined that if Ozil does sign, the contract would not disrupt the Turkish club’s existing wage structure.
He said: ‘ After t he meeting process with Mesut’s club is over, we will hold meetings between ourselves. If Mesut agrees with his club on the terms we want, it won’t stretch our financial limits this year.’
The Athletic claim Ozil was set to earn around £ 7million at t he Emirates Stadium between now and the end of the current campaign, but an early termination has now been agreed.
The news appears to have brought an end to the protracted saga, which erupted once more when Ozil was left out of Arsenal’s Premier League and Europa League squads by boss Mikel Arteta in October.
The 2014 World Cup winner has not featured competitively for the Gunners in more than 10 months, with his last appearance coming in March’s 1-0 win against West Ham when h e a s s i s t e d Al e x a n d r e Lacazette with a goal.
Ozil is set to leave Arsenal having played 254 matches for the club, scoring 44 goals and recording 77 assists following his £42.5million move from Real Madrid in 2013.
The German won three FA Cups, the first of which ended Arsenal’s nine-year trophy drought in 2014, as well as the 2015 Community Shield.
Ozil has also recently spoken of hi s affection f or Fenerbahce during a Twitter Q&A.
He teased fans by saying: ‘I grew up as a Fenerbahce fan as a kid in Ger many — e v e r y Ger man
Turkish person supports a Turkish team when they grow up in Germany.
‘Mine was Fenerbahce. Fenerbahce is like Real Madrid in Spain. The biggest club in the country.’
When asked by another Twitter follower which was his favourite district in the city, Ozil replied ‘Kadikoy’ — which is where the club’s stadium is located, near the coast.