BEVERLY HILLS, October 21, (THEWILL) – Arsenal’s ex-German international Mesut Ozil has publicly posted an emotional statement to the Gunners’ fanbase, where, in a very loaded line, he noted that “loyalty is hard to come by nowadays” following his latest exclusion from Mikel Arteta’s Premier League squad.
The German World Cup winner has been a peripheral figure at the Emirates since the days of Spanish coach Unai Emery. Although there were initially positive signs of progress under Arteta, those all but vanished with the passage of time.
His exclusion from the registered squad for the current Premier League season, make him ineligible to play until January at the earliest.
The ex-Real Madrid assist king had who had maintained strict reticence about his situation, decided to put out a lengthy statement on Twitter, where he expressed his disappointment at losing his place in the side.
In it, he appeared to criticise the management and hierarchy of the club, who were displayed grave disloyalty even after he pledged his allegiance to the Gunners by signing a new bumper contract in 2018.
“This is a difficult message to write to all the Arsenal fans I’ve played for over the past few years. I’m really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being.
“Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that it has not been reciprocated.
“As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays. I’ve always tried to remain positive from week to week that there’s maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again. That’s why I kept silent so far.”
Ozil also hinted that there may be non-football related issues which have caused him to be banished from the side, especially as he is ‘no longer allowed to play’ for the Gunners as a consequence.
“Before the coronavirus break I was really happy with the development under our new coach Mikel Arteta – we’ve been on a positive way and I would say my performances were on a really good level. But then things changed again, and I was no longer allowed to play football for Arsenal.
“What else can I say? London still feels like home, I still have many good friends in this team, and I still feel a strong connection with the fans of this club. No matter what, I will keep fighting for my chance and not let my eighth season at Arsenal end like this.
“I can promise you that this hard decision won’t change anything in my mindset – I will continue to train as best as I can and wherever possible use my voice against inhumanity and for justice.”
THEWILL recognises Ozil as a player with the conviction to be particularly outspoken on events around the world. He is on record to have shown public support for Uighur Muslims in China, from which the club subsequently distanced themselves due to commercial reasons. More recently, Ozil identified with protesters in Nigeria in their march against police brutality and intimidation.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
