Mesut Ozil and Arsenal have officially gone바카라 웹사이트their separate ways after seven and a half years together. (More Football News)
What was once a seemingly ideal football marriage has come to an end. Long since removed from바카라 웹사이트the pedestal where he was once placed바카라 웹사이트by Arsenal fans, Ozil has cut short his stay with the Gunners.
Having coveted him for so long, Fenerbahce바카라 웹사이트have got their man. The 32-year-old바카라 웹사이트heads to Turkey, aiming to kick-start a career that had not so much stagnated바카라 웹사이트of late but바카라 웹사이트come to a complete standstill.
Left out of Arsenal's바카라 웹사이트squads for domestic and European duties this season, his most telling contribution바카라 웹사이트in the final months바카라 웹사이트of his career at the club바카라 웹사이트was seemingly offering to cover the wages of mascot Gunnersaurus.
The바카라 웹사이트union had become broken to the point of no return in the closing stages, but there were plenty of good times바카라 웹사이트before the inevitable break-up.
FALLING HEAD OVER HEELS
Ozil바카라 웹사이트arrived at Arsenal in September 2013. The Gunners did not just break바카라 웹사이트their transfer record to sign him from Real Madrid, they shattered it by paying around £42.5million.
"This is an exciting day for all of us. We have signed a world-class player who is one of Europe's brightest young talents," said Ivan바카라 웹사이트Gazidis, Arsenal's바카라 웹사이트chief executive at the time, when the deal was announced.
Gazidis바카라 웹사이트was right: Ozil was 24, a바카라 웹사이트Germany international and someone who had바카라 웹사이트played regularly during바카라 웹사이트three seasons in바카라 웹사이트LaLiga. His departure바카라 웹사이트from바카라 웹사이트Madrid was not popular with players and fans alike바카라 웹사이트in the Spanish capital, but a necessary consequence바카라 웹사이트of a spending spree that included bringing in Gareth Bale from Tottenham.
Arsenal's big-name바카라 웹사이트recruit바카라 웹사이트did not take long to make an impact, setting up바카라 웹사이트a goal for Olivier Giroud 11 minutes into his Premier League debut away at Sunderland.바카라 웹사이트It would be the first of many바카라 웹사이트laid바카라 웹사이트on for the바카라 웹사이트Frenchman, who benefited more than any other team-mate바카라 웹사이트from the playmaker's abilities.
Ozil's eye for a pass and talent for producing subtle moments of skill saw him quickly enchant바카라 웹사이트the club's fanbase. How could they possibly do anything but fall for him?
His opening year바카라 웹사이트in England saw him score five goals and contribute바카라 웹사이트nine assists in 26 league appearances. He won the FA Cup, helping Arsene Wenger's side rally from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Hull City 3-2 in the Wembley final.바카라 웹사이트Two months later, he was lifting the World Cup in South Africa.
THE GOLDEN YEARS
Ozil's second season included a lengthy spell on the sidelines, restricting him to바카라 웹사이트22 outings in the Premier League. He did바카라 웹사이트help them retain the FA Cup though,바카라 웹사이트this time with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over바카라 웹사이트Aston Villa.
However, the Gunners saw the best of him in the two years that followed. In 2015-16, he laid on바카라 웹사이트19 assists – one shy of Thierry Henry's record –바카라 웹사이트and created 146 chances, the latter number the most by any player in the바카라 웹사이트competition for a single season since 2003-04.바카라 웹사이트He was also the바카라 웹사이트subject of seemingly바카라 웹사이트thousands바카라 웹사이트of Twitter memes, too.
Arsenal ended up바카라 웹사이트second in the final table,바카라 웹사이트10 points바카라 웹사이트behind바카라 웹사이트surprise champions Leicester City. The glass half-full type바카라 웹사이트pointed바카라 웹사이트to it being their best finish in 11 years, while the less optimistic sort바카라 웹사이트strongly바카라 웹사이트suggested바카라 웹사이트it was바카라 웹사이트more바카라 웹사이트a missed opportunity.
The following season was Ozil's바카라 웹사이트best in terms of Premier League goals –바카라 웹사이트eight in 33 games –바카라 웹사이트but another possible바카라 웹사이트title challenge faded after the turn of the year, leading to a finish outside the top four. There was yet another FA Cup success to at least ease the pressure on Wenger, but their바카라 웹사이트streak of participating in the Champions League was over.
Then, in February 2018, came Ozil's바카라 웹사이트new contract. "I signed바카라 웹사이트dat바카라 웹사이트thing," he tweeted at the time, having committed through to 2021. Wenger was with him in the picture, though nobody바카라 웹사이트knew at the time that the manager was coming towards the end of his tenure.
A lucrative deal handed out to ward off potential suitors and tie down one of the club's leading names appeared바카라 웹사이트a necessity at the time but would quickly become a millstone around the player's neck. The reported weekly salary was referenced so often in the media it should have been added to his name바카라 웹사이트by deed poll.
In terms of his future output, Ozil managed a mere six goals and five assists in 48 league games after the moment he put pen to paper바카라 웹사이트for three more years.
DRIFTING APART AND THE INEVITABLE SPLIT
Relations became strained as Ozil shifted from바카라 웹사이트eye-catching바카라 웹사이트centrepiece바카라 웹사이트to expensive luxury. The focus바카라 웹사이트had바카라 웹사이트switched from how much he produced on the ball to what he didn't do without it. The phasing-out process began during the Unai Emery reign, then led to him being completely바카라 웹사이트ostracised바카라 웹사이트by바카라 웹사이트former team-mate바카라 웹사이트Mikel Arteta.
Yet it is easy to forget that he did start in the Spaniard's first game in charge, away at Bournemouth. "To be fair, his attitude in training since the day that I walked in the building has been incredible," Arteta told reporters after the 1-1 draw on Boxing Day in 2019.
Still, six months later, when the Premier League returned following the coronavirus-enforced break, Arteta's tune바카라 웹사이트had changed somewhat. After completely omitting Ozil from the squad to face Manchester City in June in the first game back, Arteta said: "I'm going to put him on the pitch when I think he can give his best.”
There were two more fixtures바카라 웹사이트when Ozil made the bench, only to be an unused substitute on both occasions. The 2019-20 season saw him play 18 times in the league and he managed바카라 웹사이트a solitary goal and two assists. His바카라 웹사이트final outing for the club came on March 3, 2020 –바카라 웹사이트a 1-0 home victory over West Ham.
Across his Arsenal career, Ozil provided 54 assists. Only Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne (75) and David Silva (62), plus Tottenham's바카라 웹사이트Christian Eriksen (62), contributed more assists for their teams since Ozil's arrival in England. When it comes to chances created, only Eriksen (571) beats Ozil's total of 558 –바카라 웹사이트and the Dane바카라 웹사이트played over 40 games more.
And yet, as the divorce is confirmed, there is a sense of relief for all involved that it is all over. It was fun, for a while, but the time is right to move on.
