Mesut Ozil has been made a scapegoat after some Arsenal players reportedly refused to take a pay cut to help the club.
The German has been a divisive figure at the Emirates since he signed his new contract.
He has failed to produce the level of performances that made the Gunners give him his new bumper deal.
The wage cut episode was a chance for the former Real Madrid man to show his good side and get the fans behind him again, but he blew the opportunity.
The fall out from his refusal has continued to affect his image and the German could leave the Emirates for nothing in the summer, according to FIFA regulations as cited by the Daily Star.
He has just a season left on his £350k per week deal at the Emirates and he knows that he won’t command such a wage in any other place alongside a transfer fee, however, he could, if he so decided, walk away for free without any transfer to burden a club that is prepared to pay him a hefty salary.
This is because a FIFA rule allows players to end their contract if their team decides to readjust the agreements that both parties have signed.
Ozil has been adamant that he will see out his Arsenal contract, that isn’t because he wants to do something good for the Gunners, but because he wants to collect all his wages as he won’t even get half that much elsewhere.
But that does not change the fact that Ozil is now in a position to simply walk away without any sanction if he so chose.
