Agent explains why Mesut Ozil deserved to be on a mega contract at Arsenal

The agent of former Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, Dr. Erkut Sogut, has explained why his client received large wages at the Emirates Stadium. He said that it was Ozil's non-footballing appeal coupled with his footballing abilities which raked in the massive amounts of money he was making every week.

Ozil was a sensation upon his arrival from Real Madrid in 2013. He went on to make 254 appearances for the Gunners, while also scoring 44 goals and giving an astounding 77 assists.

Ozil's contract was about to expire in the summer of 2018. Arsenal felt they could let the German international leave on a free and decided to offer him a three-year deal worth £350,000 per week, according to Sky Sports.

That decision was soon recognised as a mistake, as Ozil was soon forced out the door due to becoming a financial burden to the club. Speaking to The Telegraph, Ozil's agent Dr. Sogut believes that the player earned his paypacket, as he claimed:

“Something people forget with Mesut Ozil is that he is big on the commercial side, not just football. So Mesut was the face in terms of jersey sales. I spoke to so many brands coming to Arsenal who said: ‘Look Arsenal want too much money but can we do with Mesut one-to-one with a sponsorship agreement.’ So he attracts.

“If someone like Mesut earned £200,000-a-week on footballing ability he earned £350,000 because the extra £150,000 was for his commercial rights. It’s a huge difference and that’s what I try to explain to people.

“There are only a few exceptional players who become brands. A lot of players in the Premier League are very good players, better than Mesut right now, playing good football but they are not brands. People don’t care about them much. No-one really wants to know about them. Mesut is someone with an opinion, someone who polarises, someone with haters and lovers. That's a perfect brand. That's what brands want.”

The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner ended up with three FA Cups during his Arsenal career. He narrowly missed out on the 2018 EFL Cup and the 2019 UEFA Europa League, losing in both finals.

Mesut Ozil's agent explains why players time at Arsenal petered out

The current Fenerbahce midfielder had his Arsenal contract terminated six-months earlier upon Mikel Arteta's arrival. However, when asked why Ozil eventually fell out of favour at the Emirates Stadium, Sogut stated:

“It’s football and sometimes it just doesn’t work. Look, for example: Antonio Rudiger, amazing football player. [Frank] Lampard comes and doesn’t play him. But he’s world-class, German national team, but the [Chelsea] coach is not playing him and then he was thinking about leaving.

“Suddenly the coach is going, he plays again and now he is at Real Madrid. So it’s sometimes from the coach’s perspective, sometimes the player. It’s so many factors coming together and that’s also with Mesut. He is discussed so much because he does so much off the pitch, talking about issues other players wouldn’t talk about.”