Özil turned down €1,1 million-a-week offer from Asia
Mesut Özil rejected an offer from Asia that would make him earn €1,1 million a week to stay at Arsenal.
| Mesut Özil. | Photo: Ronnie Macdonald/Creative Commons/CC-by-SA 2.0 |
Speaking to London Evening Standard, Özil's agent, Dr. Erkut Sogut, explains the 30-year-old's decision.
"We had some really big offers from Asia - there were some crazy offers. But, for Mesut, money was by no means the biggest factor," the agent said and continued:
"Money is definitely one important thing to consider, but people must remember that footballing ability is just one aspect of a contract negotiation. The commercial impact of a footballer is crucial nowadays."
"Mesut has the biggest social media following of any player in the Premier League, and I just read that his shirt numbers (sales) were the largest at the club. At the end of the day, this is all information that has to be taken into consideration."
Özil made 92 appearances and scored 23 goals for Germany before he announced his international retirement after this year's World Cup.
