Ozil told he "could have been so much more" alongside former Arsenal teammate

Mesut Ozil has been told he "could have been so much more" at Arsenal than the legacy he will leave behind as his time at the club comes to an unsavoury end.

The German superstar looks likely to sit out the remainder of his contract before departing on a free in the summer once it expires.

And he will do so under a cloud without the grandstand send off such longevity or his overall contribution to the Gunners over his eight-year stay perhaps deserves.

Once a former fan favourite, Ozil's importance to Arsenal has divided opinion for many years, particularly after he signed a new contract worth £350,000 per week in 2018 before seemingly downing tools.

Debate will no doubt rage on as to whether Ozil can reasonably claim some form of legendary status at Arsenal, but former Gunners midfielder Michael Thomas believes that ship has sadly long since sailed.

“Amazing vision and quality but not enough consistency to go with these attributes," Thomas told CaughtOffside .

"His partnership with [Alexis] Sanchez could have been so much more, but blossomed at times."

Arsenal enjoyed a mini resurgence with Ozil and Sanchez in the side, and looked to be entering another period of success.

Back to back FA Cups came in 2013/14 and the following season, before finishing second in the Premier League in 2015/16.

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That was prior to Sanchez ditching Arsenal for Man Utd, while Ozil's career slowly fizzled out at the Emirates.

Ozil has announced he will be revealing details regarding his future before the January transfer window closes, with Fenerbahce and D.C United believed to be front of the queue.

But in many ways the 32-year-old has already been consigned to Arsenal's history, following Mikel Arteta's decision to omit him from his registered 25-man squad.

Should Ozil be considered an Arsenal legend? Have your say below.

Any feint hopes of a recall for Ozil have also been dashed by the Gunners' recent return to form, spearheaded by their talented crop of youngsters, but Thomas still feels a new recruit is still needed to replace the playmaker.

“It is great what Emile Smith Rowe is doing," he added. “He’s a player who doesn’t show fear and knows the quality he can bring to the team, whilst showing the work ethic and willingness to keep improving we need at Arsenal.

“I still think they need another player in the creative mould with real quality as it’s always dangerous to rely on just one."

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