“I’m Not Going” – Defiant Mesut Ozil Adamant He Will Remain A Gunner Until 2021

Mesut Ozil says he has no interest in leaving Arsenal…

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has made it clear that he will honour his contract which expires in the summer of 2021 despite his recent exile from the squad, the German told The Athletic.

Ozil has had an indifferent start to the season with the World Cup winner only making two appearances for us in all competitions this term.

Reasons for his absence vary from illness and injury to a horrific car-jacking incident in August involving two armed robbers outside the home of Sead Kolasinac.

The left-back returned to the fold once he recovered from the emotional trauma of the incident, but there has been no such integration for Mesut Ozil granted by Unai Emery.

In fact, the 31-year-old has been left out of the last three matchday squads which have seemed rather telling – despite Ozil’s recent history of missing away trips.

Many believe this is a ploy from Emery and the club’s hierarchy to push the former Real Madrid star out of the door considering his hefty weekly wage packet of £350,000.

However, Ozil has news for those that believe his current predicament will see him leave the club.

“No. I have a contract until the summer of 2021 and I will be staying until then,” Ozil said when asked if he’ll leave the club.

“When I signed the new deal, I thought about it very carefully and said it was one of the most important decisions of my footballing career. I didn’t want to stay for just one or two more years, I wanted to commit my future to Arsenal and the club wanted me to do the same.

“You can go through difficult times, like this, but that is no reason to run away and I’m not going to. I’m here until at least 2021.”

Emery is well within his rights to leave Ozil out of the squad if he feels the midfielder isn’t producing a better level of performance in training than at least 18 other squad members.

However, when, as fans, we witness performances such as the dull display against Bournemouth at home a fortnight ago, one wonders how a player of Ozil’s quality can be left out.

With a favourable list of Premier League fixtures to come before the next international break, we could seriously set ourselves up nicely for a top-four finish. If we’re going to do that, we’ll need all our top talents on show.