Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin reveals he was never worried that Mesut Ozil would leave the club.
There had been speculation that Ozil would follow Alexis Sanchez and leave in January with his contract initially running out in the summer.
However, the German signed a new improved deal which will tie him to the Gunners until 2021.
Speaking to Arsenal’s club website, Bellerin revealed there was never any doubt that Ozil would leave.
He said: ‘Everyone in the training ground, everyone in the team knew he was going to stay.
‘He is a guy that loves London, loves Arsenal and he always gets really angry when things don’t go well, so you know how much it means for him to win or lose for this club. So I think everyone in the club, the dressing room, was sure.’
The playmaker has since been joined by Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but Bellerin believes the impact of Ozil staying is just as big.
He added: ‘It is as exciting as a new signing. To have a player with Mesut’s qualities and all he brings to the team to sign for a few more years, it is really exciting for Arsenal and for the fans.’
Arsenal impressed with their new-look attack on Saturday, thrashing Everton 5-1, but the jury is still out regarding their consistency.
However Ozil, who has often been used as a scapegoat during his time at the club, has seen a turn-around in his form and his contract extension has come as welcome relief to the Arsenal faithful who had previously feared the worst.
The Gunners will look to use their latest win to motivate them for the North London derby on Saturday.
Fans will hope Ozil can continue to impress and perform in one of the big matches.
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