Mesut Ozil let slip secret Arsenal move days in advance to Manchester United target
Arsenal's record signing Mesut Ozil let one Real Madrid teammate know about his top secret plans in advance.
Arsenal
fans may still be celebrating the signing of Mesut Ozil, but over in
Madrid it's a case of coming to terms with the loss of the star player.Real Madrid's players have been talking about the loss, with Sergio Ramos saying he was the one player he didn't want to see go. (We wonder how Cristiano Ronaldo feels about that).
Alvaro Arbeloa and Isco were among those to bemoan the loss of the qualities Ozil possesses, with all three stating they were surprised by the sale.
One man was not so shocked, Ozil's Real Madrid and Germany teammate Sami Khedira.
Khedira signed for Madrid in the same summer Ozil did, and the two stars of Germany's national team are reportedly as close off the pitch as their instinctive relationship on it.
So it seems that Khedira was the first person he would be telling that he was off to England, seemingly leaving him behind.
Quizzed about Ozil's 'shock' transfer, he had this to say:
"It didn't come as a big surprise to me. Two or three days ago Mesut told me of his plans."
His comment tells us so much more than a conversation between two close friends. It confirms that this was no deal cooked up between Arsenal and Real Madrid within 24 hours.
It was a carefully planned piece of negotiation on the Gunners part, conducted in top secret. Yes there were rumours in the press, but denials made it seem nothing more than a far-fetched rumour, of which Arsenal fans had seen dozens over the course of the summer.
Talk was that Real and Arsenal had to negotiate in secret, as not to alert Daniel Levy and Tottenham, and while Ozil has admitted Wenger talked him around, clearly it didn't all happen in a day.
Sami Khedira had his own opportunity to follow Ozil into the Premier League. He was the subject of a €40 million offer from Manchester United on deadline day.
Khedira revealed that he instructed Real to reject the offer, which they did. He had spoken with Carlo Ancelotti and been given assurances over his future.
Ozil did not feel the same way, and Wenger offered him the star-billing which was sliding away from him at Real after Isco and Bale's arrivals.
Their loss is soon to be very apparent as Arsenal's gain.
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