Putting an end to all speculation surrounding his future, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil put pen to paper a contract extension that will see him stay put at the Emirates till 2021.
“We’re delighted to announce that Mesut Ozil has signed a new long-term contract with us,” the club announced on Thursday.
Out of contract in the summer, it was widely expected that the German would follow fellow rebel Alexis Sanchez out the door in the winter transfer window or see out his current deal and depart a free agent in the summer.
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And while Sanchez did depart to arch-rivals Manchester United as a part of a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan coming to Arsenal, Ozil completed a remarkable u-turn to commit his future to the North Londoners.
The Gunners have been busy in the winter transfer window, adding Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang to their forward line for a club-record fee and perhaps their moves in the transfer market persuaded the 29-year-old Ozil.
Arsenal’s No.11 has won the FA Cup thrice since joining from Real Madrid in 2013 and when on song, has lit up the Premier League with his effortless style of play.
While the club have not revealed the wages, it is understood that Ozil is now the highest-earning player in the history of the club.
With the aforementioned acquisitions of former Borussia Dortmund duo Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan, Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette now form a formidable attack quartet for the Gunners as they bid to finish in the top-four.
Arsene Wenger’s side are in contention for at least one trophy as they take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final towards the end of the month and are in the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League as well.
Currently in sixth place in the Premier League standings, the Gunners trail fourth-placed Chelsea by eight points and will look to trim the gap between themselves and their crosstown rivals. in the weeks to come