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Arsenal smashed their transfer record when they signed Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on deadline day 12 years ago, but the German midfielder's departure from north London was far from amicable.
In 2013, under the stewardship of the legendary Arsene Wenger, Arsenal made a bold move by securing Ozil, fresh off a La Liga victory with Los Blancos. The 24-year-old cost the Gunners a hefty £42.4million, breaking their previous transfer record by a staggering £27.4m.
Fast forward eight successful years and four FA Cup victories, and rumours were rife about Ozil's impending exit from the Emirates. His playing time dwindled further following Mikel Arteta's appointment, and his eventual departure in 2021 was fraught with tension.
After a disappointing performance in the 2019 Europa League final, which followed one of his least impressive seasons in an Arsenal shirt under Unai Emery, Ozil did start the subsequent Premier League season in the first team. However, he was soon replaced and only managed to start 18 league matches throughout the season, despite signing a lucrative £350,000 per week contract in 2018.
This led to head coach Arteta excluding Ozil from both the club's Premier League and Europa League squads for the 2020/21 season. Such a decision reportedly came after a disagreement over Ozil's refusal to accept a pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when the club was making 55 redundancies.
With his contract set to expire in 2021, and his time at Arsenal drawing to a close, the German expressed his disappointment on social media: "Loyalty is hard to come by nowadays. I'm really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being.
"Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated. I've always tried to remain positive from week to week that there's maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again. That's why I kept silent so far."
In response, Arteta confessed in October that he had 'failed' Ozil, stating: "What I can say from my side is that it is just a football decision. My level of communication with him has been really high and we know what to expect with each other. Obviously, a player of that dimension, with the career he has had, everything that happens around him has a big impact.
"It has been the case for the last eight years, it is nothing new that is just happening now. A lot of things have happened over these eight years. My job is to get the best out of every player, to contribute to the team performance.
"Here I feel at the moment, today, that I have failed. I want the best possible Mesut for the team. And in some moments I was able to get close to that, and at the moment I have not been able to do it because I have to make the decision to leave him out of the squad."
Ozil's agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, didn't hold back in his criticism of Arteta, stating: "Arsenal fans deserve an honest explanation, not [Arteta] saying, 'I failed Ozil.'
"You didn't fail Ozil. You failed to be fair, honest and transparent and treat someone with respect who has a contract and was loyal all the time."
Despite joining Arsenal on deadline day and quickly becoming one of the club's star players during a relatively successful period, Ozil's departure in January 2021 left a sour taste for many, reports the Mirror.
He moved to Fenerbahce after his contract was terminated six months early. He signed a three-year contract with the Turkish team, but only stayed for one season. After a disagreement with the head coach, he transferred to Istanbul Basaksehir before hanging up his boots in March 2023.
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