Mesut Ozil has revealed that he intends to stay at Arsenal until the end of his contract in 2021.
Speculation about the German’s departure has intensified after a start to the season that has seen Ozil left out of several of Unai Emery‘s matchday squads.
But Ozil has said he will not leave Arsenal until the end of his contract at the Emirates Stadium.
“No. I have a contract until the summer of 2021 and I will be staying until then,” Ozil told The Athletic. “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.”
Ozil has been frozen out by Emery in recent weeks, but is believed to have played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Reading during the international break.
Arsenal’s next Premier League action comes against Sheffield United on Monday.
The German has been advised to work harder by both his manager and the club’s head of football, Raul Sanllehi, and Ozil insists he wants to fight for his place.
“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,” Ozil reiterated.
“I said that Arsene Wenger was a big factor in me joining Arsenal — and he was — but ultimately I signed for the club. Even when Arsene announced he was leaving, I wanted to stay because I love playing for Arsenal and that’s why I’ve been here for six years.
“When I moved from Real Madrid, it was a really tough time for Arsenal. But I always believed in what we could do and together we delivered. More recently things have been difficult and a lot has changed. But I’m proud to be an Arsenal player, a fan and I’m happy here.”
