"He could never play for another English club, he's not like Aubameyang" - Mesut Ozil's agent takes sly dig at striker's decision to move to Chelsea
Former Arsenal attacker Mesut Ozil's agent has taken a shot at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for joining Chelsea this past summer.
Aubameyang, 33, arrived at Stamford Bridge from Barcelona for £10.8 million despite his history with Arsenal.
The Gabonese striker had spent three and a half seasons at the Emirates Stadium, making 163 appearances, scoring 92 goals, and contributing 21 assists.
He unceremoniously left the Gunners in January, having fallen out with manager Mikel Arteta and was allowed to leave on a free transfer to Barca.
However, his return to the Premier League came just eight months later as he headed west of London and to Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Ozil, 34, has struggled with injuries following his departure from Arsenal in 2021.
The attacking midfielder joined Fenerbahce from the Gunners on a free transfer but his relationship with management at Şükrü Saracoğlu stadium soured.
He joined Istanbul Basaksehir on another free transfer where he is currently enduring a back problem which has seen him make just four appearances across competitions.
However, Ozil's agent Erkut Sogut has explained to Tribal Football that the former German midfielder will not return to English football due to his love for Arsenal:
"He could never play for another English club, he's not like Aubameyang. He loved his time at Arsenal is still in contact with a lot of players, not least (Bukayo) Saka, they have a special relationship."
Ozil won the four FA Cups during his time with Arsenal, managing 44 goals and 78 assists in 254 appearances across competitions.
Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino believes the Blues will offload Aubameyang at the end of the season
Aubameyang has made 10 appearances, across all competitions, scoring three goals for Chelsea.
The Blues currently sit sixth in the league, trailing league leaders Arsenal by 10 points.
However, Aubameyang may have only joined Graham Potter's side in September but Cascarino doesn't envision him to remain at Chelsea for too long.
He believes a similar situation that occurred for the Gabonese striker at Barcelona will ensue, telling talkSPORT:
“I think what will happen is what happened to him at Barcelona. They brought him to the club, got a big signing, then realised quite quickly they need to move away to a better striker."
He added:
“I think Chelsea will have to do that as a football club. They’ll come away from Aubameyang by the end of the season, and they’ll look for an alternative without a doubt.”
The former Gunners striker has two years left on his deal.
He was signed as a replacement to Timo Werner who rejoined RB Leipzig for £18 million and Romelu Lukaku who returned to Inter Milan on a season long loan.