Mesut Ozil tipped to shine at Fenerbahce after Arsenal woes as Arsene Wenger backs ‘biggest’ January deal

Mesut Ozil played under Arsene Wenger for five years at Arsenal

(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsene Wenger believes Mesut Ozil can find the “warm environment” he needs to thrive by joining Fenerbahce.

Ozil is closing in on a move to the Turkish giants after coming to an agreement with Arsenal over the mutual termination of his lucrative contract, which was due to expire this summer.

The 32-year-old is now able to join Fenerbahce and a formal announcement on his free transfer is set to be made this week, once his medical and the necessary paperwork have both been completed.

It will bring an end to Ozil’s time at Arsenal, which began in 2013 when Arsenal paid £42.5million to sign him from Real Madrid.

Wenger was the manager back then and Ozil impressed under the Frenchman, who was also in charge when the German was handed his £350,000-a-week deal in 2018.

Since Wenger left, however, Ozil has struggled under different head coaches and this season manager Mikel Arteta did not even register him for Arsenal’s Europa League and Premier League squads.

Ozil has now taken the decision to leave Arsenal in search of first-team football and Wenger believes he will shine at his boyhood club Fenerbahce.

“I’m sure that he’s frustrated at not having played. His hunger must be absolutely [enormous] to play football again,” Wenger told beIN SPORTS.

“Mesut is a guy who needs a warm environment and I believe he will find that more than anywhere else in Turkey.

“I met his father when I signed him and you could see there is a strong attachment to Turkey and a big interest in the Turkish league. I could always feel a strong Turkish link.

“Fenerbahce is a big club. There is a huge fan base there and they must be absolutely excited to have a player like Mesut Ozil playing for their club.

“Mesut is like if you imagine an orchestra in music. He’s a guy who plays the ball at the right time. The timing of his pass is exceptional, but the creativity of his pass is as well. In every situation he confronts, he gives the right answer and that is genius.

“If the moment is right around him, the timing of the pass will be perfect and the quality of the pass will be perfect.

“He certainly will be the biggest transfer of the January window because the world of football is a bit quiet.”

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