Mesut Ozil’s Arsenal Departure for the Good of All

Mesut Ozil is leaving Arsenal for Fenerbahce.

As soon as Mesut Ozil gracefully side-footed Aaron Ramsey‘s ball to the edge of the box beyond Pepe Reina, he arrived at Arsenal. Elegance was evident in his play during the four previous fixtures, but not quite like this.

After a toxic spell of selling all the club’s best players, decisions that hamstrung Premier League and European form contributing towards a nine-year wait for silverware, the stunning deadline day arrival of Ozil to Arsenal sparked ecstasy across the world.

Arsenal, who had let their own stars leave in search of pastures new, had just acquired the best of all.

£42.5m was price it took to begin a new era in the club’s history. Seeing the German hold that shirt aloft for the first time was worth more than his weight in gold. Parties in the streets outside the Emirates were matched by similarly animated celebrations, tinged with pure shock, from those watching on from home.

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Seven and a half years on, three FA Cup trophies later, and it’s come to this. Why has it come to this? How has it come to this?

Equally, what a relief that it’s finally coming to an end.

A player defined by his sophistication on the pitch has been embroiled in a mess off it, one that has been in the works for longer than Mikel Arteta‘s tenure, but has reached boiling point during it. His gradual drift away from the first team meandered its way towards this outcome.

World class talent, once the pinnacle of footballing wizardry, consigned to a spot on the bench, before eventually no role at all.

The debate over who failed whom, where mistakes were made, what decisions were shrouded in controversy, or whether this end was always inevitable will rumble on long after Ozil departs the club.

All that can be said with total agreement is that now, in this moment, it suits everyone.

Mesut Ozil Needs This Move

Not since the beginning of March has Ozil kicked a competitive football at Arsenal. A World Cup winner, former Real Madrid alumni and widely heralded as the best of his kind for years, consigned to mere training sessions.

You can believe that Ozil isn’t the right fit for Arsenal anymore, that certain characteristics of his game don’t suit and still find the situation wrong on many levels. The assumption that just because one feels Ozil shouldn’t be in the team that you also take pleasure from watching him exempt from playing is untrue. For some perhaps it is, just not for all.

He should be playing football. Now he can.

It’s the perfect scenario for him. At the age of 32, he has the dream of turning out for the club he holds most dear, in a city he adores, surrounded by people who love him. As far as moves go, this tailors to his every need. Of course, playing in the Premier League for the club he’s spent nearly eight years with would be the ideal, but it’s clear that ship has sailed.

Away from media attention that blew hot and cold, he will arrive in Istanbul a hero and leave as one, too. He probably needn’t kick a ball and he’ll still be lauded as a legend.

While ambiguity remains over whether he even wants to play football or not, this early termination dispels such notions. With £7m in the bank to come and six more months of training matches, he could easily have seen out his contract until the summer then given his goodbyes. It was the club’s decision to hand him that deal. They made their bed, and if he stayed, they’d have to lay in it.

It’s not yet known how much of the money owed will be paid out by Arsenal. From a footballing sense, it’s irrelevant. Ozil is leaving in search of minutes, surrounded by a homecoming that will lift the spirits of millions. Not least his own.

Arsenal Needed Mesut Ozil to Leave

Having got themselves into this mess, seeing Ozil leave six months earlier than anticipated will be deemed a success on the club’s part.

They hamstrung themselves with the contract they dished out, one that on first glance appeared like a masterstroke and maintained their status as a ‘big club’, but has ultimately been to their detriment.

Arteta’s decision to omit him from key squads this season was not without purpose. In many ways, he’s got what he wanted: Ozil to leave. While numerous doubts emerged over the reasons for his decision being something other than football-related, the end goal remained that if he could be moved on before his contract ended then Arsenal wouldn’t think twice.

Futile efforts were made to do so in the summer, with Ozil insisting he would continue to fight for his place in the team. It was battle he could never win. Did he know that?

Arteta’s decision follows a period at the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign, Unai Emery’s and Freddie Ljungberg‘s. New blood has been wanted for his position, likewise with countless other areas of the pitch.

The decline at Arsenal has been severe. It will be terminal unless the reset button is slammed down on. While movements are being made to begin that process, none signal the start of Arsenal’s rebirth with as much magnitude as the departure of Ozil. From the club’s point of view, his leaving will be a marquee signing in reverse.

Ozil’s situation in north London has been a monkey on the club’s back. Endless media attention and rehashed lines of questioning that prompt variations of the same answer. The disorder they’ve got themselves into can finally have its page turned, and the club will be ecstatic to open a new chapter.

Financially it’s still unclear how much Arsenal will save of the remaining £7m owed to Ozil. At this stage any amount will be a bonus. Add to the the squad being less bloated, less apparent division within the training camp over a player of his calibre being frozen out, and the club have a conclusion they’ve longed for.

All the resulting chaos that has ensued for months on end culminated in someone not playing, a club flushing hoards of cash down the drain and uncertainty and controversy from every angle.

Far from the best climax to this journey, this is the best conclusion for all.