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Former Arsenal star Mesut Ozil's agent has claimed that Santi Cazorla's departure from the club massively affected the German during his tenure there.
Ozil and Cazorla spent five years together at Arsenal before the Spaniard left the Gunners for Villarreal. Speaking to AFTV, Ozil's agent Erkut Sogut stated that Cazorla's departure was what lead to the German's decline at the club. He said:
"He [Ozil] had Santi for a while and he loved him. I think probably one of his most favourite players. Mesut is a smart, intelligent player, he reads the game and he is always looking. He loves to play with intelligent players. If you’re a No.10 the one in front of you and the one behind you, a good striker and good No.6 who cleans it up and sees you and plays you the ball so you can give the final pass."
“Santi is very smart, very intelligent and has great technique and that suited Mesut a lot to have him behind him. When Santi left you could see it wasn’t the same any more, right away it changed."
Cazorla's departure coincided with Unai Emery being appointed as Arsenal manager. Ozil's steady decline in form lead the German to slowly be phased out of the squad as he saw his playing time also lessen every season. The German was finally allowed to leave the club for Fenerbahce in January 2021, as Mikel Arteta deemed him to be surplus to requirements in his squad.
Ozil made 254 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners, scoring 44 goals and providing 77 assists during his tenure. The German was also part of three FA Cup winning sides during his time at the club.
"That’s what makes sense right now" - Ozil's agent on former Arsenal star's situation at Fenerbahce
Earlier this week, it was reported that Ozil has been frozen out of the Fenerbahce squad following a bust-up with manager Ismail Kartal. Sogut was asked about the German's situation at the club. He explained:
"Mesut did not want to make it difficult in the current environment. Since he does not want to leave Ozan on his own, he trains with him. That’s what makes sense right now because of the sad events with the coach. Such events are always sad. An unpleasant process has begun for both sides. The important thing is to stay calm and wait for the final decision."
He was also adamant that Ozil would not leave Fenerbahce despite being frozen out. He said:
“I say this clearly here. Mesut will not go anywhere, and he certainly has no plans to leave. He will continue here as a Fenerbahce player for two more years until the end of his contract. He signed Fenerbahce for three-and-a-half years, six months of which he played for free. From January to the end of the season, he didn’t even make any money. Mesut did not go out and denigrate anyone. What happened there will stay there. If his punishment comes, it will be taken and it will end.”
