Mesut Ozil Says He'll See out Arsenal Contract Until 2021, Hits out at Critics

Mesut Ozil has rejected the notion that he could leave Arsenal before his contract expires in 2021.

Ozil signed the deal in January last year, earning him around £350,000 per week as the club's highest-paid player.

In an interview with The Athletic's David Ornstein (h/t Goal's Stephen Crawford), the German said "no" to the possibility of him leaving the club in the immediate future and added:

"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 reiterated that he is "going nowhere" and said he is "proud to be an Arsenal player, a fan, and I'm happy here."

The playmaker, who turned 31 on Tuesday, has made just two appearances for the Gunners this season, against Watford in the Premier League and Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup third round.

His absence against Newcastle United at the start of the season was a result of security concerns, after he and Sead Kolasinac were attacked at knifepoint in an attempted carjacking in July.

However, while Kolasinac was restored to the squad the following match, Ozil has been left out entirely on six further occasions. The two times he's been named on the bench, he has been an unused substitute, in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and the 3-2 win over Aston Villa.

Per Football.London's James Benge, at a recent fans' forum, Arsenal's head of football Raul Sanllehi said manager Unai Emery selects players who "work hard in training" and Ozil "needs to contribute 24/7" to get into the side.

Speaking to Ornstein, Ozil hit out at criticisms of his work ethic:

Emery used the No. 10 somewhat sparingly last season, too. Ozil started just 28 of Arsenal's 58 matches in all competitions.

Nevertheless, his creativity has been unmatched at the Emirates Stadium, per Opta statistician Orbinho:

He's a player who can produce sensational match-winning moments in the final third, too (U.S. only):

Although Arsenal may wish to offload him from the wage bill if he's not playing, there may be little they can do if he's determined to see out his contract regardless.

Ozil featured alongside several fellow first-team players for Arsenal in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Reading during the international break, so his involvement could suggest he'll be brought back into the fold.

The Gunners might as well use him while they have him. While he may have a reputation for failing to produce in Arsenal's biggest games or difficult matches on the road, his unrivalled creativity means he can still be a useful asset.