In an interview with a Turkish broadcaster, the German midfielder said he was fit to play despite having missed football for almost a year.
Mesut Ozil has confirmed he is leaving Arsenal for Turkish side Fenerbahce. He said he was “very excited” to join a team he had always supported and that he was in good physical shape despite having missed almost a year of football.
The German world champion has been banned from the London club for months and was banned from the English Premier League and Europa League squads at the beginning of the season.
The 32-year-old, who is of Turkish origin, has long been linked with a move to Fenerbahce, one of the three big clubs in Istanbul.
Speaking to Turkish broadcaster NTV on Sunday, Ozil said he would arrive in the Turkish city early Monday to seal his move.
“I’m a Fenerbahce fan. So I’m really looking forward to coming to Turkey with Fenerbahce, ”said Ozil. “I’m very excited. God gave me the opportunity to wear this shirt as a Fenerbahce fan. If God willing, I will wear it with honor and do everything I can for the team,” he added.
Ozil has not played for Arsenal since March 2020 and his reported contract for a weekly salary of £ 350,000 ($ 475,000) expired at the end of the current season.
“Of course I’m missing a couple of matches. I haven’t played in a game for a while but I’m physically fit, I have no problems, ”he said, adding that he had trained with the first team at Arsenal during his time off the field.
6️⃣7️⃣ ❤
– Mesut Özil (@ MesutOzil1088) January 17, 2021
In a Twitter post, Ozil tweeted “67” with a heart emoji, in an obvious reference to the first two digits of the zip code of Zonguldak, Turkey, where his family came from.
According to media reports in Turkey, Ozil will sign a three and a half year deal with Fenerbahce, who are currently second in the league behind Besiktas.
Signed by Spanish giant Real Madrid in 2013 for a record fee of around £ 42m ($ 57m), Ozil played a major role in ending Arsenal’s trophy drought under Arsene Wenger, winning the in his first season FA Cup.
But he was marginalized under Wenger’s successor Unai Emery and again by current manager Mikel Arteta, who said the player’s omission was for “football reasons”.
During his time at Arsenal, Ozil has scored 44 goals in 254 games across all competitions.
He was an important part of the German team that won the World Cup in 2014, but after what he called “racist” after the owners were eliminated in the first round of the 2018 tournament, he ended his international career.
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