Mesut Ozil has been urged to leave Arsenal this summer, despite the German’s insistence that he’s going nowhere.
The midfielder expressed his intentions to stay put in north London in an interview with The Athletic as he vowed to make his way back into Mikel Arteta’s plans.
"Things have been difficult but I love Arsenal," Ozil said. "I'll decide when I go, not other people."
"I'll give everything I have for this club. Situations like these will never break me, they only make me stronger. I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will show it again."
Ozil though appears to be a long way off getting back into the first team picture at the Emirates Stadium.
The German didn’t feature at all for the Gunners after the Premier League’s restart in June, and was even allowed to go on holiday early while his team-mates played in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
And former Premier League striker Emile Heskey believes Ozil is wasting his career, and feels he should exit the club this summer.
“For myself, I would leave,” Heskey told talkSPORT. “I would want to go and play, and be happy just to get out of that situation that he’s in.
“Looking from the outside, it looks like there’s some sort of breakdown in communication or in a relationship that he’s chosen that line.
“You’re stalling your career. You’ve come this far, from the age of nine or whatever age, to get to where you are, and you’re just going to sit there and do nothing?
“The manager has obviously shown time and time again, regardless of how you do in training, whether you have a great game or you’ve been given the captaincy, you’re not welcome.
“That’s what I see, you’re not welcome, so move on. He’s obviously taken the stubborn line of ‘I will sit here, I’m happy, you put me back in that side.’”
Heskey added: “I’ve spoken to people about it, and they’ve said he’s probably the best player in that squad, so why wouldn’t you try and get him back on your side?
“Just get him to do this because he will give you a lot more than they’ve got there in terms of creativity, when he’s driving with the ball, seeing the pass and having the ability to pick the pass.
“There’s something not quite right there.”
