Ozil wants Arsenal stay

Mesut Ozil wants to stay at Arsenal past this summer, according to Sky Sports.

The attacking midfielder signed a new contract with the Gunners last year, one that has made him by far the best paid player in the squad, but his performances have since then been somewhat short of the mark when it comes to the level that is usually expected of a player of such skill.

He had a very turbulent summer of 2018, when he unexpectedly got knocked out of the World Cup with Germany, the title defenders, after the group stage. His performances were sharply criticized in his homeland, and sharpened further by a photo he had ill-advisedly taken with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the tournament. He retired from the national team, feeling that he was abused for his Turkish origins.

His season has been full of ups and downs and he has been earmarked for departure from Arsenal by numerous media reports.

However, manager Unai Emery has recently praised the 31-year-old’s efforts to respond to his demands, and now Ozil himself has expressed his desire to remain at the Emirates.