Mesut Ozil believes he is often “singled out” at Arsenal when the club are on a bad run of form.
The German has come under scrutiny for some of his performances this season, with the club currently sixth in the Premier League and facing an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League.
The future of Ozil, as well as Alexis Sanchez and manager Arsene Wenger, has dominated headlines coming from the Emirates in recent months, and it remains uncertain if the trio will remain at Arsenal beyond the current campaign.
And though Ozil has scored five and assisted five goals in the league this season, the 28-year-old believes the finger is frequently being pointed at him when Arsenal struggle.
“When the team’s on a bad run, somebody needs to be singled out, sadly most of the time it’s me,” he told Sport Bild.
Although he added: “You know what made me proud? The first day the Arsenal fans sang the Ozil song.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it at any other club. It gives me goose bumps every time the fans sing that song.”
Ozil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid for £42.5m in 2013, while he has not played in Germany since leaving Werder Bremen for Spain in 2010.
However, the Gelsenkrichen-born playmaker refused to rule out a return to Germany, admitting his family would welcome the prospect.
“I don’t want to exclude that,” he added “Many family members – my mother especially – would welcome it if I were closer to home.
“I still have a year on my contract and I love this club [Arsenal]. At the moment, everything is still open.”
The midfielder also revealed that he still thinks fondly of former club Real, with whom he spent three seasons at – winning La Liga in 2012 and the Copa del Rey a year before.
“Of course my heart beats for Real,” he said. “I played there and still have many friends to this day in the team and in the club. Therefore I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Real, even against Bayern.”
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