Mesut Ozil, a former Arsenal attacking midfielder, and Ozan Tufan, a former Watford loanee, have been “excluded” from the Fenerbahce squad, according to a statement released by the Turkish club.
The short statement published on Fenerbahce’s social media translates as: “Our Football A Team players Mesut Özil and Ozan Tufan were excluded from the squad as per the decision taken. It is announced to the public.”
Ozil, who left Arsenal in 2021, is said to be ‘unhappy’ in the Super Lig since his comeback. Fenerbahce president Ali Koc criticised these feelings in an interview given at the end of 2021.
“Mesut Ozil has been likened to Robin van Persie since the beginning of this season,” Koc told Fenerbahce TV.
“Ozil would like to play more. From now on, he must concentrate on his game while keeping his commercial interests at bay. He should consider making a contribution to Fenerbahce.
The decision to remove Arsenal’s former No.10 was made after the attacking midfielder got into a verbal spat with interim manager Ismail Kartal during their 2-1 home win over second-placed Konyaspor.
The midfielder was replaced at halftime of the game.
Due to Ozil’s public exclusion from the squad, he and Tufan will not be permitted to train with the first team ahead of their away match against Kayserispor this weekend.
As a result, unless a new manager can intervene and defuse the situation, Arsenal’s former star will most certainly be looking for a new club in the summer.
What happened to Ozil in Turkey
Ozil had hoped to make a fresh start in Turkey after receiving a lot of criticism near the end of his time in England.
While working on a large contract, questions about his participation were bound to arise, and he has fallen short of expectations.
He has just one assist and no goals in his first 11 games for Fener, and he has missed several weeks due to injuries this season.
His productivity has increased, with the target found on eight occasions this season in the Super Lig, but he has not been as inspirational as everyone involved in a high-profile deal had hoped.
He missed seven games due to a back injury he sustained in January, but returned in March.
They said in response to claims that the 33-year-old was refusing to play due to payments not arriving on time:
“The news that Mesut Ozil did not play because his debts from the club were not paid have nothing to do with the facts.
“As we have often experienced, this kind of fake news that is created completely haphazardly without being confirmed by any official from our club is beyond our tolerance limit.
“Despite the heavy economic conditions at Fenerbahce, payments have been made on time until now.”
It remains to be unclear how many more competitive appearances he will have before then, with Fenerbahce deciding to announce his departure despite Ismail Kartal’s team taking a break from activity until April 2.
