Arsenal playmaker, Mesut Ozil, has insisted he will only leave when his current deal expires in 2021. He has been heavily linked with a January exit from the Emirates, after starting only one league game this season.
Gunners boss, Unai Emery, was keen on offloading Ozil last January, but the club couldn’t find a buyer for the 30-year-old, who signed a new four-year deal worth £350,000-a-week in 2018. Emery has offered few assurances to Ozil over his long-term future, but the German insists his future remains in North London.
Asked whether he would be leaving the club, Ozil told the Athletic: “No. I have a contract until the summer of 2021 and I will be staying until then.
“When I signed the new deal, I thought about it very carefully and said it was one of the most important decisions of my footballing career. I didn’t want to stay for just one or two more years, I wanted to commit my future to Arsenal and the club wanted me to do the same.
“You can go through difficult times, like this, but there is no reason to run away and I’m not going to. I’m here until at least 2021. I said that Arsene Wenger was a big factor in me joining Arsenal — and he was — but ultimately I signed for the club. Even when Arsene announced he was leaving, I wanted to stay because I love playing for Arsenal and that’s why I’ve been here for six years.
“When I moved from Real Madrid, it was a really tough time for Arsenal. But I always believed in what we could do and together we delivered. More recently, things have been difficult and a lot has changed. But I’m proud to be an Arsenal player, a fan and I’m happy here. Whenever people see me in the street I always say, ‘This is my home’. I’m going nowhere.”
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