Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta seem to be on the verge of mending the differences between them as the Arsenal’s manager gave the German midfielder an opportunity to play for the London club once again. Coach Arteta included Ozil in the squad that played against Aston Villa at the Emirate Stadium on Sunday.
The match which Arsenal lost 3-2 was Ozil’s first match since the coronavirus pandemic halted football in March 2020. The fact that the former Germany international did not play under the Spanish tactician for so long sparked the rumor that Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta were having a feud that could only end when the player leaves the club.
However, the 31-year-old midfielder insisted that the club failed to feature him in matches because he failed to accept a pay cut prior to the restart of the 2019-2020 season. Recall that Arsenal’s board asked the players to accept a pay cut and Mesut Ozil who earns £350,000-per-week refused to do so. This and many other reasons were said to be the reason Mikel Arteta refused to play him.
To make matters worse, rumors started flying that the club is overwhelmed by the high weekly pay Mesut Ozil earns at the club and that they want to sell him to any interested club this summer. However, the player has been insisting that he wants to remain at the club.
He re-emphasized this resolution on September 1, 2020, when he tweeted a picture of himself and the former manager of the club, Arsene Wenger. In the caption, Mesut Ozil explained that he was using the picture to mark the 7th year anniversary of his time at the club. He noted that he was willing to recreate the experience.
7 years ago I joined the @Arsenal family and Mon. Wenger ❤️🙏🏼 And I would not hesitate to do it all over again. #anniversary #YaGunnersYa #M1Ö pic.twitter.com/mfyNbDUEao
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) September 1, 2020
Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta’s saga: the twist
Before now, it was looking like the relationship between Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta is unrepairable. However, for the fact that the manager featured the midfielder in their Sunday’s pre-season match, there has been a spark in the speculation that Arsenal is planning to offer the German a new contract that will see him stay at the club beyond June 2021.
On his part, Ozil has given Arsenal’s fans the hope that he is willing to remain at the club to see out his contract and also extend it if he has the opportunity to do so. He did that by tweeting, “season prep is on”, after playing against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Season prep is 🔛⚽ #M1Ö #YaGunnersYa @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/D2DEXk5AcE
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) September 5, 2020
Since Mesut Ozil joined Arsenal football club in 2013, he has played 254 matches in all competitions, scoring 41 goals and providing 89 assists. If the new twist in Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta’s saga is anything to go by, Arsenal’s fans could see Ozil fully back to the squad in the 2020-2021 campaign.
