Mesut Ozil has been the creative spark for Arsenal ever since he joined the club from Real Madrid but this season he has fallen down the pecking order under Unai Emery.
So far Arsenal have played in 8 Premier League games but the playmaker has featured in only one game which is a clear indication that Mesut Ozil does not fit in the plans of the manager.
It is no secret that the Emirates outfit wanted to sell off the German last summer but failed to get a buyer. And it is also an open secret that Emery will look to offload him during the January transfer window.
But now speaking about his time at the club, Mesut Ozil has made it clear that he has no intentions of moving out of the club before 2021 as he looks to fully honour his current contract.
“When I signed the new deal, I thought about it very carefully and said it was one of the most important decisions of my footballing career,” Ozil told The Athletic.
“I didn’t want to stay for just one or two more years, I wanted to commit my future to Arsenal and the club wanted me to do the same.
“You can go through difficult times, like this, but that is no reason to run away and I’m not going to. I’m here until at least 2021.
“When I moved from Real Madrid, it was a really tough time for Arsenal, but I always believed in what we could do and together we delivered. More recently things have been difficult and a lot has changed, but I’m proud to be an Arsenal player, a fan and I’m happy here. Whenever people see me in the street I always say, ‘This is my home.’ I’m going nowhere.
“If we don’t do well in a ‘big’ game, it’s always my fault. If that’s true, how do you explain our results in the ‘big’ games when I wasn’t involved? There’s no real difference.
“I know people expect me to offer more, dictate play and make the difference — I do, too — but it’s not that straightforward. I’m not the only player in the team and, don’t forget, some of our opponents are simply better than us.
“Also, what is a ‘big’ or ‘small’ game? In the Premier League, anyone can beat anyone. Look at Wolves and Norwich beating Man City, or Newcastle and West Ham beating Man United. So you can’t say my good performances only came in ‘small’ games because these games don’t really exist.”
