Arsenal fans can look forward to seeing a lot more of Mesut Ozil now that he's reiterated his loyalty to the club. He also opened up on the class of Arsene Wenger, Chelsea's decision to sack Jose Mourinho and his idolisation of Zinedine Zidane.
The Gunners favourite has been linked with a return to Germany, but he'll remain at the Emirates Stadium until "at least 2018," when his current deal expires, according to the Times (h/t David Wright of the Daily Express):
"I can never say I will return. I have beautiful memories of home, but I'm with Arsenal until at least 2018. [Arsenal boss Arsene] Wenger has always backed me strongly. He's always there for me."
Specifically, Wright mentioned Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich as being in the hunt for former Schalke and Werder Bremen star Ozil, but a move to the Allianz Arena now appears less likely.
The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg also reported this month that old club Real Madrid have been linked with a move for their former charge following a lack of creativity at the Bernabeu.
Ozil is enjoying his best season to date at the Emirates Stadium, and a win over Manchester City on Monday evening would help the Gunners cement second place in the Premier League standings.
He went on to detail just how big an influence manager Wenger was in luring him to north London, telling the Times of the French tactician's input prior to his £42.5 million move (h/t Metro's Mark Brus):
Arsene Wenger was definitely the main reason I signed here. He’s a great football man. He always qualifies for the Champions League knockouts as a team. We are really happy we have such a great manager.
He knows how to prepare a team and the players. He’s very experienced. I came here to develop further under Wenger, to learn more from such a great manager.
Judging by how far the World Cup winner has evolved since coming to England, it may be fair to assume Wenger's input has had the desired effect, wading through more difficult times to reach this season's heights.
The north Londoners are searching for their first top-flight crown since 2004, and Ben McAleer of WhoScored.com recently highlighted Ozil as being in the kind of form needed to end that drought:
Prior to joining Wenger, Ozil worked under Mourinho at Real Madrid.
The Portuguese manager was recently shown the Chelsea exit after a nightmarish first half to this season, but Ozil told the Times he thinks Mourinho will make whichever team he joins next "successful," (h/t Goal):
I’m surprised by what happened with Jose. He’s a great manager. I believe that any club he goes to now he will be successful again.
I know how special he is as a manager. He is a manager who always supports his team and always protects his team. He’s getting the best out of any player. I wish him all the best for the future, and also that he’s healthy and fine.
Mourinho left the Bernabeu in the same summer that Ozil departed Madrid for Arsenal, where he would go on to enjoy even greater prominence as an individual.
It was also at the Bernabeu that Ozil got better acquainted with Real Madrid icon Zidane, a player whom he models himself after, according to the Times' report (h/t Daily Mail's Matt Morlidge):
I always admired [Zinedine] Zidane. He didn't do tricks for the sake of it. He never wanted to show off. He just played a clever game. He's the player who decides games. I watched his technique and tried to do that in my game, and a lot of times it worked.
Like Ozil, Zidane was a creative magician on the ball, but the Arsenal midfielder may find his finishing needs to make an extra leap if he's to match the levels hit by Zidane during his playing days:
Deciding fixtures is precisely what Ozil has had a major hand in doing this season, and that key influence will be critical if Arsenal are to defeat City on Monday and close the gap at the top of the table.
Fans at the Emirates Stadium may already hail Ozil as being of a standard close to what Zidane achieved in his career, and the playmaker will remain committed to the Gunners' cause for the foreseeable future.