When Mesut Ozil finally waved goodbye to Arsenal after eight-and-a-half years at the club in January this year, there was a collective sigh of relief around the north London club.
Perhaps the most relieved of them all was Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard was attempting to overhaul his Arsenal squad after some disappointing campaigns under Unai Emery and Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners had to solve the problem of offloading an out-of-form Ozil, who was being left out of matchday squads under Arteta whilst earning an astonishing £350,000-a-week.
With unrest coming from the supporters, it was time to part ways with the player who had divided opinion amongst the fanbase. A record of 44 goals and 77 assists in 254 games was not enough to secure him legendary status in their eyes.
His contract was due to run until June 2021 but in January, the club negotiated a deal with Ozil and his agent to mutually terminate the deal six months early.
It was a divorce of convenience. Ozil no longer had the look of a star, the elegance of a ballerina on the ball and his statistics had taken a sharp nosedive in his final 18 months at the club.
The German midfielder moved to Fenerbahce, a club which tends to find value in rescuing unwanted Premier League stars such as Mbwana Samatta and Enner Valencia.
So, how has the playmaker fared during his eight months in Turkey? Mirror Football takes a look at how Ozil found life since leaving the Premier League…
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Fenerbahce fanfare
If there is one thing you can guarantee when a player moves to a Turkish club from a top-five European league, it is that hundreds and sometimes even thousands of fans will greet them at the airport.
To sign a player of Ozil's calibre, a World Cup winner and one of the greatest No10s of his generation, was a huge statement for Fenerbahce.
Sure enough, when he arrived via private jet at Istanbul airport in January, a group of photographers and chanting fans had arrived to greet him.
With the club scarf draped around his neck, Ozil was beaming with excitement as he prepared to complete his move.
“I am very excited because I was always a fan of Fenerbahce,” he told the club’s official TV channel.
“My dream has come true. I am very excited to wear the Fenerbahce jersey. I hope we will be very successful with my team-mates.”
After coming off the bench to make his debut against Hatayspor, it was his pre-assist which gave Fenerbahce a late winner. Notably, as he went over to touch knuckles with the referees, one of the assistants looked almost star-struck by meeting Ozil.
Now that fans will be returning to stadiums this season, the 33-year-old will no doubt get his first taste of the hostile and passionate atmosphere at the Estadio Sukru Sabricoglu in the near future.
Injury woes
The last 12 months of Ozil’s nightmare season at Arsenal were plagued by illness and injury problems — and it has been a similar case over in the Turkish capital.
His absences from the squad for high-profile matches, with the reason given usually referring to “illness”, put Ozil in the bad books of some Arsenal fans.
But there was no doubting his spell on the sidelines after suffering a serious ankle injury against Antalyaspor.
After being eased in the action by his new club with a number of substitute appearances, Ozil suffered a ruptured ankle ligament injury that forced him to be stretchered off the pitch.
He was ruled out of action for two months towards the end of the season and
He was stretchered off and spent six weeks frustrated on the sidelines, as Fenerbahce lost out by two points to champions Besiktas and finished third, qualifying for the Europa League.
Having recovered towards the end of the campaign, Ozil struggled to find form and failed to register a goal or assist in his last four games.
Ending his goal drought
Ozil’s time in Turkey has been far from an easy ride, having registered no goals and one assist in 11 games last season. But there are signs that his luck is turning.
The midfielder had been used in a deep-lying role by manager Vitor Pereira since he arrived and it appears his days in the No10 role are over.
But in the opening match of the new Super Lig campajgn, Ozil found a way to make a lasting impression.
Just 11 seconds into the second half against newly-promoted Adana Demirspor, who boasted new signings Mario Balotelli, Younes Belhanda and Britt Assombalonga, the visitors put together a fine move with some slick one-touch passing.
Ozil is not exactly renowned for his strides forward from deep positions, but the playmaker deserves full credit for having the determination to burst into the box and tap home from Irfan Kahveci’s cross.
The relief was palpable as Ozil headed to the corner flag and cheered loudly celebrating with his team-mates.
It has been a long time coming for the former Germany international. His last goal arrived in February 2020 when he was still an Arsenal player as the Gunners thrashed Newcastle 4-0.
He had gone 27 games without getting his name on the scoresheet before finding the net on Sunday.
After ending his long-running goal drought, Ozil will be hoping to kick on and rediscover the same form which made him an Arsenal icon — at least at first.
