In mid-March, Mesut Özil (33) led Fenerbahce Istanbul as captain, two weeks later he was no longer in the squad. The German ex-national player was suspended over a dispute with then-coach Ismail Kartal.
On Friday, the Turkish club introduced Jorge Jesus (67) as the new coach. So new hope for Özil? No! The Portuguese slams the door mercilessly to the 33-year-old: “He had his time, his space. I will continue to follow what is considered the end of the Özil era within the club.” That means there is no chance of a return.
«The most important thing is Fenerbahce»
“The most important thing is not the coach Jorge Jesus, not the player Özil, not just any player. The most important thing is Fenerbahce,” continued Jesus, who was still on the Benfica sidelines until the end of 2021. Without a doubt, Özil is a great footballer who has had a great time in Turkey, “that no one can take away from him”.
What does the side of the 92-time international, who moved to Turkey in January 2021, say? She is not at all happy with the club’s decision. “He still has two years of contract, he wants to stay with Fenerbahce, he doesn’t want to go anywhere,” said his advisor Erkut Sogüt (41) to “Sportsmail”. He is now more mature when it comes to such conflict situations.
But the chances of reconciliation are slim, especially since the German-Turk was harshly criticized by President Ali Koc (55). He has to focus much more on the playful and put his commercial interests aside. So he has no choice but to look for a new club. (che)