Mesut Ozil sends message to Arsenal fans
Football
By
Mirror
| Sep 06, 2020
German midfielder Mesut Ozil was frozen out at Arsenal towards the end of last season, but Mikel Arteta brought him in from the cold on Saturday to take on Aston Villa in a friendly
Mesut Ozil confirmed "season prep is on!" in a message to Arsenal fans after being brought in from the cold by Mikel Arteta.
The German midfielder was frozen out at the end of last season, with Arsenal considering ways to part company with Ozil this summer.
Ozil made it clear he has no intention of leaving the Emirates before his contract expires, and claimed he was dropped because he refused to take a pay cut.
It appeared the situation was set to get messier with neither party willing to back down.
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But Arteta has seemingly had a change of heart, and appears ready to give Ozil a second chance to prove himself at Arsenal.
The Gunners boss gave Ozil a run out in a friendly with Aston Villa at the Emirates on Sunday.
And Ozil, delighted with his inclusion, took to social media after the game to announce to his followers his Arsenal career is back on track.
Arsenal lost 3-2 in the match, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again showing his importance with both goals for his side.
Ozil announced back in August he would not be forced to leave by Arsenal by anyone, and fully intends to see out his £350,000-a-week contract until the summer of 2021.
The Gunners were exploring options to pay him out of his £18million contract at the time, but were forced to back down.
Ozil told The Athletic at the time: "My position is clear. I'm here through to the last day of our agreement and I'll give everything I have for this club.
"Situations like these will never break me, they only make me stronger. I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will show it again."