Mesut Ozil turned down offers worth £1million-a-week to commit his future to Arsenal.
The 30-year-old German eventually signed a contract extension in January, having entered the final six months of his previous agreement after months of difficult negotiations in which he was repeatedly linked with a move to Turkish side Fenerbahce.
Arsenal made Ozil the highest-paid player in their history in a £350,000-a-week deal, but Standard Sport can reveal the playmaker rejected advances from Asia worth three times that amount – around £1m-a-week.
In a rare UK interview, Ozil’s agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, outlined why the contract took so long to be agreed, but rejected claims that money was the principal stumbling block.
“We had some really big offers from Asia - there were some crazy offers,” he said. “But, for Mesut, money was by no means the biggest factor.
“Money is definitely one important thing to consider, but people must remember that footballing ability is just one aspect of a contract negotiation. The commercial impact of a footballer is crucial nowadays.
“Mesut has the biggest social media following of any player in the Premier League and I just read that his shirt numbers (sales) were the largest at the club. At the end of the day, this is all information that has to be taken into consideration. So, the commercial side is very big with a player like Mesut, who has played in different countries and was the No10 of the Germany team, where he won the World Cup. His market is worldwide. The club makes money out of these players as well.”
Ozil was previously earning around £140,000-a-week prior to signing his new deal, which ties him to the club until 2021. Last week, he left the door open to staying at Arsenal for the rest of his career, while also suggesting he could play on until he is 35 or 36.
Ozil may be a polemic figure at times, having attracted strong criticism from a number of pundits, including Graeme Souness and Martin Keown, over his attitude, but Sogut insists his client’s fondness for the club he joined from Real Madrid for £42.4million in 2013 is unwavering.
“It came down to what was in his heart,” said Sogut. “We were free to sign with other clubs and, in the end, Mesut loves the club. I put everything to him and he just said, ‘This is my home, I want to be here’.”
Ozil is currently enjoying some time out of the spotlight after opting to quit the German national team, following their disappointing showing at the World Cup in Russia.
Germany face Russia in a friendly on Thursday before a Nations League clash against the Netherlands on Monday and coach Joachim Low has admitted there is no prospect of Ozil returning after citing a lack of support from the country’s football federation over his decision to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
TheNeutralGuy
221
Show this to Oscar.
Buyemoprt
163
let's be honest guys. out of 10 games Ozil will be great in 2. that for me is substandard for a player of such quality.when ozil,lacazette and Abu click the gunners are unstoppable. just such a pleasure to watch. we should have bought iniesta or Shapiri to run our attacking midfield with torreira providing the defensive midfield. with laca,abu,iwobi in forward.a partner will allow him to play his game. so maybe that's another contributing factor. all in all I am glad he decided to stay. out of the pitch he is also a great ambassador,does a lot for the youth and has a golden heart.hense his decision.peace!!!
whykallar
91
Brilliant! Now let us all analyze this topic my wonderful Afers family, 1. leadership is very important and 2. commitment is all to it, At times we don't look at reality and always fast to speak, it's normal to give our views, but we all should know that, everyone has the right to give their view, and we will argue to disagree, at the end of the day, we consider general views, which will be rule by majority, Now let me hit the main points😀, whenever you are chosen to be a captain, that means the coach see leadership in you. Before you become a coach, you should achieve that certification to prove, you can manage a team, and coaches appointment of captian, is what he or she study, Ozil was chosen because he's capable of doing better to lead his team, likewise he is influential, Money is very important and not all to it, he could tell that Asian's team to give him time, that is, be captain for 6months or 1 year and move to Asia, but he first negotiated his contract and told gunners what others offering him, that's complete commitment, he love the team and don't want to leave, after stepping aside from his national team(Germany), Therefore, i personally support Ozil decision, not because I'm Barca fan, I will set example with Messi for not going to Man City, they raised his salary and make him captain, Likwise CR7, CR7 left because Petez abuse his loyalty, but however, let me not take my Afers family time, and just cut it short. Commitment is very important. My views.