Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has suggested the club failed Mesut Ozil and did not support him as the midfielder closes in on a transfer move to Fenerbahce.
Ozil has not played for Arsenal since being frozen out by Mikel Arteta last March and, after initially saying he would see out his current contract which expires in the summer, is now on the verge of a move to Turkey this January.
The 32-year-old was given permission to travel to Istanbul on Sunday to complete the final paperwork, saying goodbye to his teammates in the day.
Ozil spent seven-and-a-half years at Arsenal and recorded the most assists of any player at the Emirates over that period, but he has not played any competitive game of football in 10 months.
His transfer move to Fenerbahce is already being discussed by his teammates on social media and now Mustafi has heaped praises on Ozil, though he also criticised the lack of ‘assistance’ he received from the club and team.
‘Bro, you have been the most unselfish player, on and off the pitch, I have ever shared the dressing room with,’ Mustafi wrote on Twitter.
‘You will be always remembered as the Assist King. ‘Unfortunately we as a team haven’t been able to assist you when you needed us the most. All the best.’
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Mustafi has similarly been sidelined under Arsenal manager Arteta – playing just three league matches this season – and is expected to leave the club this January with Barcelona believed to be interested in signing him.
Ozil reached Turkey on Sunday and an announcement regarding his move to Fenerbahce is now imminent, with the player already posing with the club’s scarf.
Arsenal are believed to have waived a fee in order to offload Ozil and end the saga that has surrounded his exile, while he has also picked his shirt number – the number 67, ahead of his unveiling.
