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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

Mesut Ozil insists there is no bad blood between him and Arsenal after row with Mikel Arteta

Mesut Ozil has sought to turn the page with former club Arsenal after announcing his retirement from football.

An acrimonious end to his spell at the Gunners saw the German fall out with Mikel Arteta after being cut from his squad.

Ozil, 34, had his Arsenal contract terminated six months before its expiry in 2021 and has admitted that things were never the same for him after Arsene Wenger left five years into his stay.

“The first years were very good,” he told Marca.

“We played in the Champions League, we had a great team with great players and an incredible coach like Arsene Wenger. After he left the club, many things changed for me.

“But I have no interest in adding fuel to the fire again.”

With Arsenal now top of the Premier League under Arteta, Ozil insisted he is backing his former side all the way.

“Now I am relaxed and I wish the best to the Arsenal fans, who have always been very supportive of me,” he added.

“I would be happy for them if they could celebrate winning the Premier League title. They deserve it.”

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