Ozil's ruthless Arteta remark, Arsenal curse and new role after retirement
Plenty of players have seen their powers wane in the Premier League over the years, but perhaps nobody has endured a more dramatic fall from grace than Mesut Ozil.
Signed by Arsenal from Real Madrid back in 2013, Ozil was the Gunners' marquee summer signing and quickly established himself as one of the club's most influential players. The midfield maestro continued to excel for the Londoners in the seasons that followed, but he found himself out in the cold under Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard took charge in December 2019 and ostracised Ozil following the Covid-19 pandemic. Arteta's stance didn't soften the following campaign, either, with Ozil effectively frozen out until he eventually joined his boyhood club, Fenerbahce, in January 2021.
Ozil's career has taken plenty of turns since he swapped Madrid for London, but it seems as though a new role could be on the horizon for the former Germany international...
Ruthless Arteta remark
Unsurprisingly, Ozil wasn't particularly full of warmth for Arteta after he was frozen out at the Emirates - and the duo's feud continued even after Ozil had signed on the dotted line for Fenerbahce.
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Using the power of social media, Ozil was the first person to rub salt into Arteta's wounds after Arsenal were trounced 5-0 by Manchester City back in August 2021.
The chastening result increased the growing pressure on Arteta and Ozil picked his moment with a simple yet effective tweet: "Trust the process".
Ozil's mischievous post sparked a frenzy amongst both the media and the fanbase - which would have been precisely the last thing Arteta needed at the time.
Ozil and the 'Arsenal curse'
Join the debate! Do you think Arteta was right to bin Ozil? Let us know here.
Ozil was frozen out at Arsenal by Mikel Arteta (Getty Images)Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Ozil and Arsenal's damning divorce is that it came shortly after the playmaker put pen to paper on a lucrative new contract.
Unfortunately, that has since become a bit of a theme at the Emirates, who saw a similar scenario play out with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after he committed his long-term future to the club. He was frozen out and, like Ozil, shown the door shortly after.
Homegrown hero Bukayo Saka has been backed to break the "Arsenal curse" after signing an improved contract in the summer despite overtures from other clubs.
After establishing himself as one of Europe's brightest young talents and registering 26 goal contributions (15G, 11A) last term, Arsenal fans will be desperately hoping Saka doesn't follow suit.
Potential new role
Mesut Ozil hung up his boots back in March after spells with Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir (Getty Images)After leaving Fenerbahce, Ozil had a short stint at Istanbul Basaksehir before announcing his retirement back in March. It seems likely, though, that Ozil could be back in football sooner rather than later, with Bild reporting that he has been earmarked for a key role in a new-look Turkish national team.
Head coach Stefan Kuntz and general manager Hamit Altintop are both expected to be sacked and Ozil has been touted to succeed the latter. Former Germany manager Joachim Low - who managed Ozil for years - is believed to be in the running to succeed Kuntz in the top job.
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