Mesut Ozil reflects on his time at Arsenal

Former Arsenal attacker Mesut Ozil has opened up on his time at the club following his recent retirement from football.

Ozil spent the last two years of his career in Turkey but before then, the 34-year-old spent eight years at Arsenal.

The German completed a sensational summer move to the Emirates Stadium in 2013 and was arguably one of Arsenal’s biggest signings of the Arsene Wenger era.

As expected, Ozil turned out to be an instant success as he helped Arsenal end a nine-year trophy drought by securing the FA Cup in his debut campaign.

Racking up 44 goals and 79 assists in 254 matches across all competitions, Ozil went on to win three more FA Cups and a Community Shield.

Ozil also provided the most Premier League assists as Arsenal finished runners-up to Leicester City in the 2015/16 season and that remains their highest league finish since 2005.

While Ozil and Arsenal had some tough moments which eventually led to him leaving on a sour note in 2021, he still has fond memories of his time at North London.

“The first years were very good,” Ozil said in a recent interview with Marca.

“We played in the Champions League, we had a great team with great players and an incredible coach like Arsene Wenger.

“After he left the club, many things changed for me but I have no interest in adding fuel to the fire again.”

Ozil also expressed his desire to see Arsenal win the 2022-23 Premier League title with the Gunners currently eight points clear of defending champions Manchester City heading into the final 10 matches.

“Now I am relaxed and I wish the best to the Arsenal fans, who have always been very supportive of me,” the 34-year-old added.

 “I would be happy for them if they could celebrate the Premier League title. They deserve it!”