People want to destroy me but I was right to KO pay cut
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MESUT OZIL insists the 55 redundancies at Arsenal proved he was right to refuse a pay cut to his staggering £350,000-a-week wage.
The World Cup winner says he fully plans to see out his contract at the Emirates, even though he believes there are people who are trying to “destroy” him.
Arsenal claimed most of the squad accepted an initial 12.5 per cent wage cut, which was reduced to 7.5 per cent after Europa League qualification, to help the club’s finances during the pandemic.
It then emerged Ozil not agreed to a wage cut and he did not play another minute for the Gunners under Mikel Arteta last season.
Earlier this month the north London club announced the job losses because of the pandemic.
The Germany midfielder said: “People who know me know exactly how generous I am.
“As far as I’m aware, I was not the only player who rejected the cut in the end, but only my name came out.
“I guess that’s because it is me and people have been trying for two years to destroy me, to make me unhappy, to push an agenda they hope will turn the supporters against me and paint a picture that is not true.
“Possibly the decision affected my chances on the pitch, I don’t know. But I’m not afraid to stand up for what I feel is right and when you see what has happened now with the jobs, maybe I was.”
Ozil is adamant Arsenal mishandled their reaction to the Covid-19 crisis from the very start.
He told The Athletic: “As players, we all wanted to contribute but we needed more information and many of our questions were unanswered. Everyone was fine with a deferral while there was so much uncertainty. “I would have been OK to take a bigger share and then a cut if required, once the football and financial outlook was clearer. “But we were rushed into it without proper consultation. “For anyone in this situation, you have a right to know everything, to understand why it is happening and where the money is going. “We didn’t get enough details, we just had to give a decision. It was far too quick for something so important and there was a lot of pressure. “This was not fair, especially for the young guys, and I refused. “I had a baby at home and have commitments to my family here, in Turkey and in Germany — to my charities, too. “We had also started a new project to support people in London that was from the heart and not for publicity.”
Ozil insists he is going nowhere, even if the 31-year-old risks not playing for the next year at the Emirates and effectively ending his top-level career.
He said: “I’ll decide when I go, not other people.
“My position is clear. I’m here through to the last day of our agreement and I’ll give everything I have for this club.
“Situations like these will never break me, they only make me stronger. I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will do it again.”
The playmaker signed his new deal in 2018 with only six months left on his previous contract.
Instead of losing him for nothing, Arsenal panicked and committed to paying him £72million over four years.
Ozil said: “I signed for four and that should be respected.
“I love Arsenal, the people in the club — the real people, those I’ve been with for a long time — and I love London, it’s my home.”