With a transfer fee of £42.5 million, Mesut Özil is Arsenal's all-time record signing. The German playmaker moved from Real Madrid to the North London club in the summer of 2013, and his arrival was meant to signal the dawn of a new era at Arsenal: Arsene Wenger had finally spent big on a world-class player. During his 4 seasons at Arsenal, Özil has shown flashes of brilliance, but his inconsistency and tendency to disappear during big games has made him a liability at times. The 28-year old did, however, help the Gunners end a 9-year trophy drought, as Arsenal won back to back FA Cups between 2014 and 2015.
Özil's contract expires at the end of next season, and he is yet to sign a new contract.
Özil has not signed a new deal yet
The German midfielder has recently denied that his future at Arsenal was solely dependent on whether Wenger would remain at the club. Both Özil and Alexis Sanchez have been reportedly offered improved contracts by Arsenal, but neither has agreed to sign an extension yet. Subsequently, speculation has increased in recent weeks, and the pair have been linked with several high-profile clubs by various news outlets.
Most recently, Turkish Football club Fenerbahce have been reportedly eyeing up a move for Arsenal's record signing. Özil who is, of course, of Turkish descent is a life-long supporter of Fenerbahce, and is believed to be keen on securing a move to the Turkish football giants somewhere in the future.
Wenger has recently stated that contract negotiations with Özil and Sanchez have been temporarily put on hold until the end of the season, and fans have become increasingly anxious about the prospect of losing their star player. Now, Özil has opened up about his situation at the Emirates.
The German international insists that he's still 'very happy' at Arsenal
Speaking to the German media, Özil insisted that he was still very content with life at the North London club.
"The fact is I've still got a contract in London. To speculate now would be wrong. At the end of the season we will see, there will be talks. I'm very happy at Arsenal and in London," said Özil.
When asked about Wenger, the 28-year old said that he did not know whether the Frenchman would extend his stay at Arsenal, further implying that his future at the club was not merely dependent on the Arsenal boss's decision.
Furthermore, Özil also admitted that the team has been going through "a difficult phase", but remains optimistic that the Gunners will eventually bounce back. He said: "Somehow something is not working with the team. We are letting in a lot of goals. Maybe it's down to self-belief. When I look at the quality of Arsenal though I'm convinced we will get on a run again soon."
Supporters of the club will hope that Arsenal will be able to hold on to their record signing.
