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Mesut Özil prepares for the first leg of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final against Valencia on Thursday.
Mesut Özil prepares for the first leg of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final against Valencia on Thursday. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Mesut Özil prepares for the first leg of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final against Valencia on Thursday. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Mesut Özil says he will definitely not be leaving Arsenal this summer

This article is more than 4 years old
‘I’m 30 now and I’ve still got two years in front of me,’ says Özil
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Mesut Özil has insisted he will remain an Arsenal player next season. The 30-year-old is the highest-paid player in the history of the club but has been dropped several times this season.

The Arsenal head coach, Unai Emery, has not been afraid to omit Özil from his squad for big games and it remains to be seen if the former Germany international starts Thursda’s Europa League semi-final first-leg match with Valencia at the Emirates Stadium. Özil has often come in for criticism from large sections of Arsenal’s fanbase, having joined from Real Madrid in 2013. He signed a new deal last season which ties him to the Gunners until 2021 and, despite some suggestions he could be sold in the summer, he told Sky Sports he intends to stay put.

“Yes absolutely,” he replied when asked if he will be at Arsenal next season. “I have two years left on my contract. I don’t know about after that but yes, absolutely. I’m 30 now and I’ve still got two years in front of me and what happens after that I don’t know myself.”

One player who will not be a teammate of Özil next season is Aaron Ramsey. The midfielder has agreed to join Juventus on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer and has played his last game for Arsenal having been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a hamstring injury.

Ramsey confirmed the diagnosis had ended his decade-long career with the Gunners in an emotional Instagram post. “It saddens me to say that the game against Napoli was my last game in an Arsenal shirt,” he wrote. “Unfortunately it left me with an injury that rules me out of the remaining games. I am really disappointed not to play until the end and give everything for the club while I am still an Arsenal player. Unfortunately it’s out of my hands but I wanted to say thank you to the fans for your support.”

“We’ll miss him,” added Özil. “He’s a player with a lot of potential and ability. As a player we have to accept it but I wish him well for the future and I wish him all the best.”

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