Read the room, mate
Mesut Ozil has officially left Arsenal after roughly seven-and-a-half years which began beautifully, before stagnating and eventually becoming so insufferable for both parties that a departure was mutually agreed just to bring an end to it all.
Ozil is one of the most divisive figures in the club’s recent history, with a number of fans disappointed in a player who, despite his world class talent, could not engineer a place for himself in a team crying out for creative options.
Others view it as the fault of a club who, despite clear signs that the relationship was going by the wayside, decided four years ago to not only extend his contract, but double his wages too.
Regardless of who is to blame – it’s probably both by the way – he is now gone, and the two parties can move on.
Now, if you were a current Arsenal player, aware of the internal politics and sentiment among fans and staff, you’d probably think that a quiet text to Ozil saying goodbye and good luck would suffice.
But you’re not Shkodran Mustafi – who has presumably weighed up the aforementioned elements and decided ‘Hmmm, gonna do it anyway’ and has penned a heartfelt and contentious message to his compatriot on Twitter.
In a post dedicated to his friend, Mustafi lamented the treatment of the playmaker and praised him for being “unselfish”.
He said: “Bro, you have been the most unselfish player on and off the pitch, I have ever shared the dressing room with. 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.”
Unsurprisingly, this hasn’t necessarily gone down particularly well with Arsenal fans, who were quick to jump into the replies.
https://twitter.com/fxzinho/status/1351156456716972035?s=20
https://twitter.com/afc_m1/status/1351159224328458244?s=20
https://twitter.com/hasan_y11/status/1351157527564570625?s=20
Ozil refuses wage cut. That 20 of his teammates agree to .
Mustafi: " you've been the most unselfish player off the pitch" 😂
— MarcusAFC (@Marcus49AFC) January 18, 2021
Ridiculous tweet.
— Tim Hardwicke (@Arselona) January 18, 2021
One regular day of Arsenal. Is all we ask. Will never happen.
