Arsenal new boy Mesut Ozil has mentioned “trust” and “respect” as the underlying factor which made his switch to the north London club an easy decision.
The 24-year-old Germany international penned down a five-year deal believed to worth £42.4m with the Gunners on September 2, the last day of the 2013/14 summer transfer window.
Ozil, who will be wearing the number 11 shirt at his new Emirate home, took part in his first Arsenal news conference on Thursday saying:
I am really looking forward to this task. I have only heard good things. This is a very successful club, with young players who can develop very well here and that is one of the reasons I wanted to come… Mesut Ozil.
According to the Daily Mail, there have been claims by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that a relationship with one South American (Miss Venezuela) beauty queen blighted the midfielder’s form at the Bernabeu and also suggestions that personal greed on the parent’s part had been behind the German’s big money move away from the Bernabeu.
This has prompted the player’s father Mustafa to threaten legal action against Perez, but Ozil down played them all.
“I would have come here without a fee,” he said. “That would not be a problem. Of course I am proud of this but the most important thing is that the manager trusts me. That was crucial for me and that is why I came to Arsenal.
“I don’t want to say anything bad about Madrid. I had three wonderful years there, we achieved a lot and we won trophies.
“People who know me know how professional I am. Over the years there I played 159 games. If you are not professional in your life I don’t think you can play that many games. I don’t care about all the rumours. I have a new task now and I am looking ahead.
“When I talked to Arsene Wenger on the phone he was full of respect. As a player I need respect and I felt that here,” he added.
Wenger has said Ozil could start the game against Sunderland in place for the injured Tomas Rosicky.
Ozil joined Real in August 2010 from Werder Bremen and went on to feature 124 times scoring 22 goals.
