Ozil's ruthless Arteta remark that left ex-Arsenal man with egg on his face
It has been almost two years since Mesut Ozil sent a damning message to Mikel Arteta after Arsenal were thrashed 5-0 at Manchester City.
The result pilled the pressure on Arteta as the Gunners sat bottom of the Premier League heading into the first international break of the 2021/22 season. Arsenal had lost their first three matches against Brentford, Chelsea and City, with Arteta facing serious questions over his future.
Having seen his Arsenal contract terminated eight months earlier, Ozil took to Twitter and used one of Arteta's famous phrases to sum up the defeat at the Etihad Stadium. The German simply tweeted: "Trust the process" in a nod to Arteta's unflappable belief that all will come good for the Gunners under him.
At that point, it seemed as though Arteta's days as Arsenal boss were numbered, having also guided the Gunners to a disappointing eighth-place finish in 2020/21. However, the Gunners have been on the up ever since that game and ended up narrowly missing out on a Champions League place later that season.
Arsenal continued on their upward trajectory into 2022/23 and battled Manchester City for the Premier League title, with the Gunners finishing in second on 84 points in the end. Arteta's side were simply exceptional for the majority of the season as the Spaniard showed why the club's hierarchy kept faith in him.
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The Gunners have started this season as they mean to go on, winning their opening two matches against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace - albeit by the odd goal. And Arteta will be hoping to forge yet another title charge in an attempt to push Manchester City all the way again.
If Ozil had any doubt about Arteta's credentials as a manager, then he has simply been left with egg on his face. Although it took him a little bit of time, Arteta has turned Arsenal into England's current second-best team - but he did have to sacrifice Ozil to achieve that.
Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta in 2020 (Getty Images)Arteta, who replaced Unai Emery as Arsenal's next boss, named Ozil in his first starting XI to take on Bournemouth on Boxing Day 2019. Ozil played 75 minutes during the Gunners' 1-1 draw on the South Coast, with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scoring for Arsenal on the day.
Ozil started the next nine Premier League matches leading up to their final game before the Covid-19 pandemic halted football for three months. Unlike the majority of his teammates, the ex-German international failed to take a pay cut and Ozil did not feature for the rest of the season - with Arteta citing his absence as "football reasons".
In fact, Ozil failed to make another appearance for Arsenal and completely frozen out by Arteta for the 2020/21 campaign, having not been named in either the Premier League or Europa League squad. He eventually ended up joining boyhood club Fenerbahce in January 2021, after scoring 44 times and providing 77 assists in 254 games during his seven-and-a-half year stint in north London.
Mesut Ozil scored 44 times for Arsenal (Getty Images)Speaking in May 2022, Ozil's agent Dr Erkut Sogut opened up on the shock both he and his client felt upon learning Arteta couldn't find a place for the midfielder in his team. At that time, Ozil was in a similar predicament at Fenerbahce after falling out of favour under Ismail Kartal.
"I just ask for fair treatment like with any other player," Dr Sogut told Mirror Football. "But to not be in the squad at all, that was a couple of days before the window was closing and it was too late for us to react anyway.
"Maybe three days, four days before when I was told he might not be in the squad at all, he might not be listed. So that was a surprise. First for the Europa League and then for the Premier League as well, that was not expected by us at all. The coach didn't want him in the squad and the player has to accept that, what can you do?"
Ozil was contracted to Arsenal until the summer of 2021 but the Gunners decided to terminate his deal early - as Arteta decided to bring in Martin Odegaard instead from Real Madrid. The Norway international signed initially on loan before making the move permanent for around £30m.
Martin Odegaard has starred in an Arsenal shirt over the past two-and-a-half years (Getty Images)Fast forward two-and-a-half years and it is safe to say Arteta and Arsenal made the right decision. There was no doubt Ozil was a superb servant for the Gunners, especially under Arsene Wenger, but it was clear he did not have a future anymore as Arsenal opted to sign younger players.
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Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice are amongst those to have also come through the Emirates doors in the last two years, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have both emerged into world-class talents. In fact, the average age of the Arsenal squad last season was just 25.2 years-old.
But for Odegaard, despite a slow start, he has since become one of the Premier League's best players. He grabbed 15 goals and provided eight assists in 45 appearances during his first season as Arsenal captain. Ex-Real Madrid star Odegaard has filled into Ozil's no.10 berth with ease and is set for a long future in north London.
Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were both shown the exit door by Mikel Arteta (Getty Images)Ozil was not the only player Arteta forced out, however. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang was among the other big-names to leave Arsenal during Arteta's tenure. And once again, the Gunners ended up tearing up the Gabon international's contract to allow him to depart and join Barcelona.
Out of the players that were named in Arteta's first XI as Arsenal boss, only two are still at the club. Saka, who started at left-back that afternoon, is firmly part of the Spaniard's plans right now, while Reiss Nelson began on the right wing at Bournemouth and recently signed a new deal with the Gunners.
As for Ozil, he hung up his boots back in March, aged 34, following his departure from Istanbul Basaksehir. In a statement, the former Real Madrid star said: "Hello everyone, After thoughtful consideration, I'm announcing my immediate retirement from professional football.
"I've had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity. But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it's become more and more clear that it's time to leave the big stage of football.
"Special thanks must go to my family members and my closest friends. They have been a part of my journey from day one and have given me so much love and support, through the good times and the bad. Thank you to all my fans who have shown me so much love no matter the circumstances and no matter which club I was representing.
"Now I'm looking forward to everything that is in front of me with my beautiful wife, Amine, and my two beautiful daughters, Eda and Ela - but you can be sure that you will hear from me from time to time on my social media channels. See you soon, Mesut!"
Arteta's Arsenal will attempt to continue their perfect start to the Premier League season when they entertain Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Manchester City and Brighton are the other sides who have a 100% record after two matches.
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