Mesut Ozil has shown his gratitude to Arsenal for his time at the club after his move to Turkish side Fenerbahce was confirmed, saying he goes with no grudges despite not playing for nearly a year.
The 32-year-old who flew into Turkey last Sunday after saying his goodbyes to his former teammates has officially signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at Fenerbahce and also participated in a training session at the club on Sunday.
Ozil received a sign-on fee worth £4.5m and will earn around £60,000 a week at Fernabahce – a pay cut from his £350,000-per-week deal at Arsenal – although his wages will be boosted by sponsors and endorsements.
Ozil took to social media to bid farewell to his former side and only had words of gratitude for the club despite being frozen out of the side since a 1-0 win over West Ham in March 2020 and also being omitted from the club’s Premier League squad this term.
“I’d like to thank the club for this amazing journey over the past seven-and-a-half years,” he said on Twitter in a long heart-felt letter to Arsenal fans.
“The support I have felt from the team and fans during my time here has been truly incredible and something I will always be grateful for,” he added to the club’s official website.
“Together we won trophies for the first time in years and created memories that will last a lifetime. The Arsenal fans will forever remain in my heart.
“I’d like to thank Edu Gaspar for helping bring about a professional and dignified solution in the past few days, and I wish everyone at the club the best in their attempt to continue to bring Arsenal back to the top, where we belong.”
An emotional Ozil further went on his Instagram page and wrote: “I will always be grateful for the trust placed in me by Arsene Wenger in September 2013. I’ve grown up as an adult in North London, a place I’ll always call home. I’ll never forget that.
“It’s difficult for me to put into words the love I feel for this club and the fans. How could I possibly describe eight years of gratitude in a single letter? I will be a Gunner for life – no doubt about that.”
Fenerbahce is in a financial mess at the moment and the club’s president Ali Koc requested fans to send goodwill text messages, each of them worth around £2, to financially support the club.
Over 160,000 messages have already been sent – earning the club over £300,000 – and the campaign will continue until Ozil is formally unveiled on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Koc, who urged the fans to “break a record”, said: “Maybe 300,000, 500,000, or maybe even a million text messages come together. This support will do us very good.”
Ozil will be missed
The GOAT of assists
Congratulations
Good luck to Mesut