Ozil’s agent slams Arsenal boss Arteta, demands truth behind exile
Football
By
Mirror
| Oct 23, 2020
Mesut Ozil’s agent has called on Mikel Arteta to give Arsenal fans an honest explanation for the German’s exiled status at the Emirates.
Ozil, 32, has not played for the Gunners since March and is unlikely to play for the club again.
He has been left out of the club’s Premier League and Europa League squads, with Ozil, still the club’s highest-paid player, hitting out at the club’s decision on Wednesday, saying “loyalty is hard to come by” as he expressed his disappointment.
That led manager Arteta to insist that the World Cup winner’s omission is down to purely footballing reasons, amid claims that Ozil is being punished having been one of three players to refuse to take a 12.5 percent pay cut - later reduced to 7.5 percent after Arsenal qualified for Europe with their FA Cup success - amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of their Europa League win against Rapid Vienna on Thursday night, the Spaniard declared: "Honestly I take full responsibility. I have to be the one getting the best out of the players. It is my responsibility.
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“It is nothing related to any behaviour or, like I read, the pay cuts.
"My job is to get the best out of every player, to contribute to the team performance. Here I feel at the moment, today, that I have failed."
However, those comments have not sat well with Ozil’s agent, Dr. Erkut Sogut.
He has hit back at the club over Arteta’s latest statement, insisting that the Spaniard is not telling the truth over Ozil’s situation and calling on the club to come clean.
"Arsenal fans deserve an honest explanation, not [Arteta] saying 'I failed Ozil,'" he declared, speaking to ESPN.
“You didn't fail Ozil: you failed to be fair, honest and transparent and treat someone with respect who has a contract and was loyal all the time.
"Every single person outside knows he hasn't treated him fairly. He didn't give him a chance to show himself this season. If he is still under contract, the player should have the option to stay and fight for his place. Mesut hasn't been given that.
“Why would you put a player on the bench twice for 90 minutes [against Brighton and Crystal Palace in June] if he wasn't fit or committed?
"Everyone says he's training well. Per Mertesacker said this publicly. I spoke with at least five teammates who say he is training great. They say Mesut is one of their best players, and they cannot understand why he is left out.
“So it can't be the training - if it is not the pitch, what are the footballing reasons? If you talk, you should tell the truth that the Arsenal fans deserve otherwise don't talk at all."
Ozil has maintained that he has no intention of leaving the club - and made a public display on social media on Thursday night of supporting his teammates from afar.
To that end, Dr. Sogut insists he has, and continues, to remain loyal and remains hopeful that the club's position will change.
"Mesut is 32 years old. He has a few more years in his career, but it is more about the way of treatment," Dr. Sogut added.
"Mesut is someone who fights for his rights. The contract was a big commitment for him.
"He could have left for another club like Alexis Sanchez. He could have left and got a £30m signing-on fee as a free agent at the peak of his career. But he stayed loyal.
"Maybe the club will change their position in January and register him. You never know what will happen."