Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has vowed to see out the rest of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, despite fears he is no longer in Unai Emery’s plans.
The German has featured just two times this season for Arsenal, once in the Premier League at Watford with his other appearances coming in the Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest.
Yet despite that, Ozil is set on staying on north London, even if he feels he is not welcome anymore.
When asked if he is looking to leave the club, his response was emphatic.
“No. I have a contract until the summer of 2021 and I will be staying until then,” Ozil told The Athletic.
“When I signed the new deal, I thought about it very carefully and said it was one of the most important decisions of my footballing career.
“I didn’t want to stay for just one or two more years, I wanted to commit my future to Arsenal and the club wanted me to do the same.
“You can go through difficult times, like this, but that is no reason to run away and I’m not going to. I’m here until at least 2021.”
Ozil penned a new three-and-a-half year contract in January 2018, thought to be worth £350,000-a-week.
That was before the arrival of Emery who is now in his second season in charge, but still Ozil is yet to convince the Spaniard he is worthy of a key role in his plans.
The 31-year-old revealed that it was Arsene Wenger that first attracted him to the club but even though he has now departed, Ozil still loves to wear the famous red and white shirt – something of a rarity nowadays.
“I said that Arsene Wenger was a big factor in me joining Arsenal — and he was — but ultimately I signed for the club,” he added.
“Even when Arsene announced he was leaving, I wanted to stay because I love playing for Arsenal and that’s why I’ve been here for six years.
“When I moved from Real Madrid, it was a really tough time for Arsenal. But I always believed in what we could do and together we delivered.
“More recently things have been difficult and a lot has changed. But I’m proud to be an Arsenal player, a fan and I’m happy here.
“Whenever people see me in the street I always say, ‘This is my home’. I’m going nowhere.”