Mesut Ozil's agent insists the German has no plans to leave Fenerbahce and wants to see out his contract - despite him being excluded from the side.
The playmaker quit Arsenal and moved to Turkey in January 2021 but finds himself frozen out at the Superlig outfit. He's not played since March 20 after rowing with interim head coach Ismail Kartal over his fitness. Ozil has continued to be shunned and has been linked with a move away as a result.
The World Cup winner is seemingly at a similar crossroads having been out in the cold at the Emirates. Ozil was in and out under Unai Emery and then Mikel Arteta decided to omit the playmaker on a regular basis, eventually forcing him to leave north London despite his intention to see out his contract.
Ozil is now facing a sense of deja vu but looks content to stay at the club despite being shunned for selection. It means he risks another several years of watching rather than playing with agent Dr Erkut Sogut insisting the player wants to remain in Turkey.
He told the Daily Mail : "He’s more mature now, more relaxed in that sense," said Sogut of Ozil. "He has two more years on his contract, he wants to stay at Fenerbahce, he doesn’t want to go anywhere. He was always on and off [the field at Fenerbahce]. Mesut wants 90 minutes, like any player.
"The coach didn’t give him that much time, they had an argument and fell out. But he’s professional, he knows what’s happening and he’s not stupid." Fenerbahce finished second in the table - eight points off Trabzonspor. Kartal was only the coach on an interim basis and it remains to be seen whether he will remain in his post.
That could yet play a huge role in whether Ozil finds his way back into the first team picture. The 33-year-old has also copped criticism from Fenerbahce president Ali Koc, who called on him to contribute more. It leaves Ozil in a precarious position as he faces the prospect of a lengthy contract without featuring on the pitch.
He admitted following his Arsenal exit: "The past few months haven't been the easiest. Like every player, I want to play every minute of football for my team. In life however, things do not always play out how we expect or want them to."
The German has regularly faced criticism about his work rate, despite his obvious quality. The 33-year-old regularly laid on goals for his teammates but was unable to regularly justify the mammoth £350,000-a-week salary handed to him late in the Arsene Wenger era.
