Mesut Özil has put a tick behind the Fenerbahce chapter. The 33-year-old and the Turkish first division club have terminated their contract by mutual agreement. The ex-national player is now moving to Basaksehir.
After one and a half years and 32 games in the Turkish SüperLig, Mesut Özil’s engagement with Fenerbahce has come to an end: the club and the player have terminated the contract, which is valid until summer 2024, by mutual agreement. The 33-year-old former international has not played since his suspension in March and is now seeking his fortune with city rivals Basaksehir. There he will receive a one-year contract until 30 June 2023 – with the option of a further season.
The reasons for Özil’s suspension from “Fener” remain obscure. In November, club president Ali Koc accused him of not concentrating enough on football and instead taking care of other “business matters”. Özil made 13 appearances for the Turks in the winter months, then he and teammate Ozan Tufan (since moved to Hull City) were dropped from the squad.
Jorge Jesus also closes the door
As recently as the end of May, Özil had committed himself to Fenerbahce via Twitter and made it clear that he wanted to fulfil his contract until the summer of 2024 – under any circumstances. After the new coach Jorge Jesus closed the door on his return to the squad, rumours spread that the midfielder could hang up his boots and find a foothold in eSports.
Now, however, Özil is only moving within Istanbul and will play for the Turkish champions of 2020. At Basaksehir, the 2014 World Cup winner will be wearing shirt number 10.
