Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil was not popular with German fans after the team lost in the World Cup to South Korea.
The German announced he was quitting International football in June and blamed racism and disrespect as the main reasons. 29-year-old Özil felt unfairly criticised after the exit from the competition.
Mesut Özil: Fan Favourite Again?
Dividing Opinion
Özil, who has dual nationality, found himself at the centre of a Social Media storm after posing for a photograph with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The midfielder has Turkish roots and felt nothing wrong in honouring that side of his history.
Arsenal have backed the German from the outset, as did many German fans who protested in support of their International number ten. However, there were some who were still not happy with the 29-year-old.
This includes German International coach Joachim Low who wanted to meet with the Arsenal midfielder for one on one talks over his future at International level. Özil didn’t reply to the invitation. It transpired later that Emery had refused Low permission to enter the Gunners’ training ground.
All of this left a bad taste with some fans. However, the German appears to be winning some of them back around again. Many Gunners fans have always appreciated the way the midfielder plays, however, Özil has been missing from recent games.
Emery Encouragement
The Gunners boss seems to be getting the German back on track. In a recent training session, Emery was captured yelling at the 29-year-old. However, many fans are welcoming the footage.
In the footage posted by Arsenal themselves, the Spaniard is seen shouting encouragement to Özil. In the shooting practice, Emery can clearly be heard yelling at the German to “finish it” when he is taking his turn to shoot on goal.
Gunners fans have reacted well to the footage, with many believing that the new boss will bring out the “old Özil”.
One fan was quoted as saying “The biggest happiness being a football fan is watching Mesut Ozil play like Mesut Ozil”.
There is no denying that when the German is on song, he is one of the best players in the world. Getting the fans to believe that again too may take longer than a few clips from practice put out on Social Media.
Encouraging Signs of Form
If Emery can bring out the form the German can produce then he will remain at the club. Rumours of a move in the January window if Özil finds his old form will be put to bed.
The German has not had a good few seasons with the Gunners. Despite this Özil is still a reasonable option in the fantasy football leagues. At least three per cent of players have selected Özil, making him a sensible option for the squad.
The German is well on the way of winning back some of the detractors. So long as he can recapture his past form, Özil will have no issues going forward with Arsenal fans. The German fans who supported him during the summer are still behind him too.
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