MESUT OZIL’S career at Arsenal is over.
Left out of both the Premier League and Europa League squads for the season, Ozil will now be forced to sit in the stands and keep collecting his £350,000-a-week pay-cheques for the rest of the season.
How Arsenal lined-up for Mesut Ozil’s debut vs Sunderland in 2013
The German playmaker, 31, released an angry statement after his axe, slamming the club’s lack of loyalty.
No-one could have predicted Ozil would be in this predicament seven years ago.
Ozil arrived at the club in 2013 in a £42million move from Real Madrid.
He quickly became known as the ‘Assist King’ for his incredible knack of setting up his team-mates.
In fact, it took just 11 minutes for Ozil to record his first assist in an Arsenal shirt.
Ozil made his debut for the Gunners in a 3-1 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, earning rave reviews almost immediately.
Now, in 2020, Ozil looks set to rot in the stands and must find a new club for next season.
But where are his team-mates from his 2013 debut now? We take a look…
GK – Wojciech Szczesny
Szczesny, now at Juventus, was in goal for Ozil’s Arsenal debutCredit: Action Images – Reuters
ARSENAL fans never quite took to the Polish star during his time in England.
Szczesny was loaned to Brentford and Roma before being sold to Juventus in 2017.
Since leaving, he has gone on to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world, winning three Serie A titles in his three seasons in Turin.
RB – Bacary Sagna
Sagna started in defence for Ozil’s first game at Arsenal – and is now retiredCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
SAGNA spent seven years as Arsenal’s No1 full-back before quitting in 2014.
The ex-Auxerre ace joined Manchester City where he spent three seasons – somehow missing out on a Premier League title, with the club winning two just before his arrival and two following his exit.
Sagna then played for Italian minnows Benevento and MLS side Montreal Impact, before retiring in 2019.
CB – Carl Jenkinson
Jenkinson is now at Nottingham Forest having started Ozil’s Arsenal bowCredit: Getty – Contributor
IN eight years at Arsenal, Jenkinson played only 41 times in the Premier League – with one of those Ozil’s debut.
Jenkinson struggled with injuries – and was prone to the odd gaffe – and was loaned out to West Ham twice and Birmingham.
The one-cap former England defender is now at Nottingham Forest, having left Arsenal for good in 2019.
CB – Laurent Koscielny
Koscielny forced a move to Bordeaux in 2019Credit: EPA
IN nearly a decade at the Emirates, the Frenchman played 255 times in the league and helped to win three FA Cups.
But his relationship with Arsenal soured towards the end and he forced a move to Bordeaux by refusing to board the plane for the 2019-20 pre-season tour of the USA.
Koscienly is still at Bordeaux to this day.
LB – Kieran Gibbs
Gibbs, left, is now back in the Premier League with West BromCredit: Ken MacPherson
GIBBS was meant to be the man to replace Gael Clichy after his move to Man City.
But his career stalled after a series of injury setbacks and the arrival of Nacho Monreal.
Gibbs joined West Brom in 2017 and has now helped them return to the Premier League after they finished second in the Championship last term.
CM – Mathieu Flamini
Mathieu Flamini is now retired and is involved in biochemicals nowCredit: Reuters
THE Frenchman had played for the Gunners between 2004 and 2008, before quitting for AC Milan.
But Flamini returned in 2013 – also Ozil’s first season at the club – where he would spend another three years.
After leaving in 2016, Flamini joined Crystal Palace, making just ten appearances in his sole season at the club.
Having failed to find a club that summer, Flamini eventually joined Getafe in February 2018 for the end of the season.
The midfielder was released, but was re-signed by the Spaniards that December.
Outside of football, Flamini co-created a pioneering company that could
revolutionise the energy industry, called GF Biochemicals.
It cost him millions and took years of research, trials, and several major scientific breakthroughs.
But in 2016, Flamini announced that GF had became the first company in the world that can mass produce Levulinic Acid, which can replace oil in all its forms.
CM – Jack Wilshere
Wilshere is a free agent having been let-go by West Ham earlier this monthCredit: Getty – Contributor
WILSHERE was arguably the most-exciting player to ever emerge from Arsenal’s youth ranks.
But a constant spate of injuries limited him to just 125 league appearances across his ten years at the club.
Wilshere was loaned to Bournemouth in 2016-17, before being sold to West Ham in 2018.
Two years into a three-year deal, Wilshere had his contract terminated by mutual agreement – and is now a free agent.
RW – Theo Walcott
Walcott is now back at Southampton, on-loan from EvertonCredit: AFP
WALCOTT started on the right-wing for Ozil’s debut having already been at the club for seven years.
All-in-all, the 47-cap ex-England star spent 12 years at the Gunners, playing 270 times in the league, before joining Everton in 2018.
Walcott has since been loaned to Southampton, where he burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old.
CAM – Mesut Ozil
Ozil will spend the season in the stands after being left out of all Arsenal squadsCredit: Reuters
THE German arrived from Real Madrid with a massive reputation – and forced fans to wait a fortnight to see him in action due to international duty.
Ozil set up Giroud for the first goal of the 3-1 win in the North-East.
In 2017, Ozil recalled his debut fondly, saying: “I just remember how nice the feeling was to finally make my debut, playing for a new club with new team-mates.
“It took almost two weeks for me to play my first game because of the international break, so I was really looking forward to it.
“To give an assist so soon early on was a nice moment too.
“I just remember looking forward to the new challenge, to testing myself in a new league.
“When I was on the pitch, I could sense that I would have fun here and that I could help the team to be successful.”
Fast-forward to 2020 and Ozil’s attitude has certainly changed…
LW – Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey, now at Juventus, scored twice on Ozil’s debut at SunderlandCredit: Getty – Contributor
ANOTHER star to be plagued by injuries at Arsenal, Ramsey still played 262 Premier League games for the Gunners – and scored twice on Ozil’s debut.
He left in 2019 in one of the most frustrating sagas in recent memory for the club.
Arsenal failed to tie Ramsey down to a new contract and in the stand-off, inadvertently pushed him away, with Juventus swooping on a free transfer.
ST – Olivier Giroud
Giroud scored the opener from an Ozil assist during the game at SunderlandCredit: Reuters
AN Arsenal favourite after six years, Gooners were sad to see the French star leave – even more so after he joined Chelsea.
Giroud hasn’t found life easy at Stamford Bridge since his 2018 transfer – but he has enjoyed a few purple patches.
That said, with Timo Werner now at the club, Giroud sits even further down the pecking order with Tammy Abraham also ahead of him.
Giroud scored from an Ozil assist on the German’s debut.
SUBS
Serge Gnabry was an unused sub for the 3-1 win at SunderlandCredit: PA:Press Association
FOR Ozil’s debut, boss Arsene Wenger opted to park the bus late on.
The Frenchman brought on Thomas Vermaelen (now Vissel Kobe) for Ozil with ten minutes to play.
Wenger then swapped Theo Walcott for Monreal (Real Sociedad) – before taking off Giroud for Chuba Akpom (Middlesbrough).
Incredibly, with the benefit of hindsight, Serge Gnabry – now tearing it up at Bayern Munich – was an unused sub.
Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham), Emmanuel Frimpong (retired) and Ryo Miyaichi (St Pauli) also failed to make it off the bench.
MANAGER – Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger gave Mesut Ozil his Arsenal debut in 2013Credit: EPA
IN 2013, Wenger was already 17 years into his 22-year stay at the club.
Now, the 71-year-old is Fifa’s head of global football development having left the Gunners in 2018.
Wenger has recently opened up on how he should have quit Arsenal sooner, being physically sick after losses and how Man Utd offered him a job.
Mesut Ozil posts emotional statement slamming Arsenal for lack of ‘loyalty’ after being axed from Prem and Euro squads
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
