Mesut Ozil confirms Fenerbahce transfer to Turkish TV after Arsenal farewell

Mesut Ozil has confirmed on Turkish TV his move from Arsenal to Fenerbahce.

It comes after the 32-year-old bid farewell to his Gunners team-mates at London club Colney’s training ground on Saturday.

Ozil will now travel to Turkey before a medical examination, with formalities expected in the coming days.

Speaking to NTV, Ozil said: “I am so happy. I am a fan of Fenerbahce. God wanted me to play football in Fenerbahce. I am proud.

“I am coming this evening with my family to Istanbul, thanks to God who gave me the opportunity to represent this club. I will wear the shirt with pride.

He also changed his Twitter profile picture to a photo of his initials “MO” in Fenerbahce’s colors – blue and yellow.

The 32-year-old hasn’t played for the Gunners since March and his £ 350,000-a-week contract was due to expire at the end of the current season.

He has to undergo a significant pay cut to join Fenerbahce and likely sign a three-year contract worth £ 65,000 a week.

But he will receive a hefty signing bonus amounting to £ 4.5million.

Ozil was due to leave in the January transfer window and would be able to sign for another club as a free agent if the final details were worked out smoothly.

Having started the first 10 games under Mikel Arteta after his appointment in December 2019, Ozil has not played since a 1-0 win over West Ham before the coronavirus pandemic brought football to a halt.

He was left out of Arsenal’s Premier League and Europa League sides, with Arteta and technical director Edu insisting the decision was due to football reasons.

Ozil has been criticized in some quarters when he refused to take a pay cut over the summer, with no football and Arsenal looking to balance the books.

He signed his contract in January 2018 to become the highest paid player in club history but is now leaving for free.