Mesut Ozil announced his retirement from football earlier this week at the age of 34 (Picture: Getty)
Mesut Ozil wants Arsenal to win the Premier League title and no longer bears any ill-will towards the club following his acrimonious departure.
The 34-year-old announced his retirement earlier this week and called time on his glittering and, at times, controversial career.
Ozil spent the peak years of his career in north London but after Arsene Wenger’s departure in the summer of 2018, he struggled to win the faith of Unai Emery and his successor, his former Arsenal teammate, Mikel Arteta.
The Germany World Cup winner featured prominently during the early weeks of the Spaniard’s reign, but was exiled during ‘Project Restart’ and spent six months on the sidelines before completing a move to Fenerbahce.
Ozil appeared to revel in Arteta’s subsequent struggles, infamously tweeting ‘Trust the Process’ after Arsenal suffered a third straight defeat at the start of last season after which Arsenal were under severe pressure to sack their manager.
Arteta has since masterminded a sensational turnaround that could yet culminate in a first league title in 19 years and Ozil is hopeful the Gunners can complete the task.
In a wide-ranging interview with Marca, he said: ‘The first years were very good for me. We’ve played Champions League – we had a great team with a lot of great characters and an amazing manager with Arsene Wenger.
Cracks in Mesut Ozil’s relationship with Arsenal began to appear under Unai Emery (Picture: Getty)
‘After he left the club, a lot of things changed for me. But I have no interest in adding fuel to the fire again. I am relaxed now and I wish the fans of the club really the best because they’ve always been very supportive towards me.
‘I would be happy for the Arsenal fans if they could celebrate the Premier League title in the summer. They deserve it!’
While Arsenal missed out on the biggest prizes during Ozil’s time at Arsenal under Wenger, they did end a nine-year wait for a trophy and ended up winning three FA Cups together.
More: Trending
On his relationship with the legendary Frenchman, he added: ‘He was a true gentleman. Always very respectful. When he left the club, something was missing. We had a great relationship and I feel privileged that he was my manager at Arsenal.’
Despite his affection for Wenger, however, Ozil credits Jose Mourinho as the best manager he has ever worked under.
Of his former Real Madrid manager, he said: ‘For me Jose Mourinho is the best manager of the last centuries. His tactical understanding is something else, but also the way he talks in the dressing room and how he always protects his team in the media. He really is world class.’
MORE : ‘London is Blue!’ Mykhailo Mudryk teases Arsenal rival Oleksandr Zinchenko
MORE : Mikel Arteta to put seven Arsenal players up for sale, including record signing
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Ya Gunners Ya!