Arsenal star Mesut Ozil joins Fenerbahce as a free agent and will sign a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Istanbul-based side.
The 2014 World Cup winner with Germany has joined Turkish league outfit Fenerbahce. After falling out of favor under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
However, Ozil takes a huge pay cut to join the club he supported from an early age. Spanish newspaper AS report that Ozil’s new weekly wage will be just £67,300, a huge £282,000-a-week pay cut.
‘I am very excited because I was always a fan of Fenerbahce. My dream comes true. I am very excited to wear the Fenerbahce jersey. I hope we will be very successful with my teammates.’
Mesut Ozil on Fenerbahce move
Ozil’ 8-year Stay With Arsenal:
The German joined Arsenal in a hefty £42.5 million deal from Real Madrid on deadline day of 2013. Therefore the move to Fenerbahce brings an end to an 8-year stay with the North London club for Ozil.
Premier League giants broke their transfer record for Mesut Ozil after helping Los Blancos win a La Liga title, a Spanish Cup, and a Spanish Super Cup in three seasons at Santiago Bernabéu.
With 44 goals and 77 assists in 254 games in England, Ozil played a critical role as the Arsenal won four FA Cup trophies and reached the UEFA Europa League final. However, after Arsene Wenger left Arsenal in 2018, his form dipped.
He was then relegated to a fringe player under both predecessors Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta, but the nail in the coffin came this season as he was left out of this season’s Premier League and Europa League squads.
Mesut is a guy who needs a warm environment and I believe he will find that more than anywhere else in Turkey. Overall, he can provide the balls that the strikers need, to win football games. If they do that well, they have a good chance of winning the league
Arsene Wenger on Ozil’s move
Ozil is expected to be unveiled in a signing ceremony on Saturday where he will put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal. The 31-year-old will wear the 67 shirt number. Sixty-seven is the postal code of his family’s province Zonguldak.
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