According to the latest reports, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil turned down mega-money offers from Asian football clubs before committing his future to Arsene Wenger at the time. This decline of Asian club offers is according to Ozil’s agent Dr. Erkut Sogut. Most of the Arsenal fans will be delighted with the way things are going under new manager Unai Emery at the moment. The North London side are currently sitting in 5th place on the Premier League table but after a shaky start to the campaign, Arsenal is now unbeaten in 17 games across all competitions and are managing to grind out results whenever desired.
Emery has certainly breathed some fresh air into the club after the departure of legendary French manager Arsene Wenger in the summer. But the Arsenal faithful may need to thank Wenger for his decision and relationship with Mesut Ozil and agreeing with the German to sign a contract extension.
Ozil’s earlier contract was set to expire in the summer but Wenger had convinced the play-maker to sign a new deal with the Premier League giants. The 30-year-old star midfielder signed a three and a half year deal in February committing his future to Arsenal following weeks of uncertainty. Ozil’s agent has revealed that the Arsenal ace felt an emotional attachment with Arsenal which made him sign a new contract extension and that made him reject lucrative offers from Asian football clubs.
While speaking to the Evening Standard Dr. Erkut Sogut said, “We had some really big offers from Asia, there were some crazy offers. But for Mesut, money was by no means the biggest factor. Money is definitely one important thing to consider, but people must remember that footballing ability is just one aspect of a contract negotiation. The commercial impact of a footballer is crucial nowadays. Mesut has the biggest social media following of any player in the Premier League and I just read that his shirt numbers (sales) were the largest at the club. So, the commercial side is very big with a player like Mesut, who has played in different countries and was the No 10 of the national team, where he won the World Cup. His market is worldwide. The club makes money out of these players as well, but it came down to what was in his heart.”
Ozil faced a difficult summer in the FIFA World Cup as Germany were eliminated in the Group Stages of the grand tournament. The 30-year-old came under racial abuse and then decided to quit playing for the national side, a team where he was the key back in 2014, guiding Germany to the FIFA World Cup. Ozil has managed 12 appearances this season under Emery and seems to be loving life at the Emirates at the moment. The midfield gem is linking up well with strikers Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette with the Spanish coach also handing Ozil the captain’s armband over the recent few weeks. Ozil already has four goals this season and one assist to his name.
December Is The Main Month!?
December will be the month that will make or break the campaign for the north Londoners, who have done well so far. They will be having some key fixtures in the current month and if they manage to win them, they will right there at the top and serious title contenders, as they head into the New Year. If they fail to prove their worth in these fixtures, they will once again become a mid-table team and may not even qualify for the Champions League once again.
Players like Ozil will now have a key role to play in these games and it will be interesting to see whether Wenger’s role in keeping hold of the World Cup winner actually pays off or not for Emery.
Will Ozil Start Against Tottenham?
After being dropped to the bench for the game against Bournemouth, some still have their doubts whether Ozil will start the north London derby or not. While most fans feel that he should, some would rather disagree. Arsenal play Spurs on Sunday, in a fixture that is crucial with regards to the Premier League title race.
Keeping that in mind, the midfield superstar has not been in the best of form recently and has at times slowed down their attacks, which was possibly one of the reasons why he was given a rest in the last match. His inconsistency has hurt the overall performance of the team too and it will be interesting to see what the manager decides now and how he utilizes his services in the best possible way to get the best possible outcomes for his side.
The Gunners play Tottenham this weekend, Manchester United in mid-week and will be also playing Spurs again and then Liverpool, later in December. What a month it’s going to be for them with some high-intensity fixtures lined up now!!
