Fenerbahce President Asks Fans To Help Fund Mesut Ozil's Massive £13 Million Wages

Fenerbahce president Ali Koc has asked fans to help fund Mesut Ozil's £13 million-per-year wages - via a text message campaign.

The 32-year-old officially left Arsenal on Sunday afternoon to sign for the Turkish outfit, who he supported as a boy.

But the club are currently £460 million in debt and will require help paying Ozil's salary.

Koc asked supporters per Daily Mail: "We have a request for our fans. Please continue to support us, we are also dependent on your financial support.

"On the day of the signature, I will ask you to break a record. With an SMS campaign.

"Maybe 300,000, 500,000 or maybe even a million text messages come together. This support will do us very good."

It is believed a message will cost around £2 per person.

Ozil spent seven and a half years at the Emirates Stadium but had fallen out of favour with manager Mikel Arteta.

His last game for the club came back in March and he wasn't included in their 25-man Premier League squad.

Despite this, he still penned an emotional tribute to the Gunners, who he won four FA Cups with.

PA

"I will always be grateful for the trust placed in me by Arsene Wenger in September 2013," he begun. "I've grown up as an adult in North London, a place I'll always call home. I'll never forget that.

"It's difficult for me to put into words the love I feel for this club and the fans. How could I possibly describe eight years of gratitude in a single letter? I will be a Gunner for life - no doubt about that.

"As I said, the past few months haven't been the easiest. Like every player, I want to play every minute of football for my team. In life, however, things don't always play out how we want or expect them to.

"But it is important to look for the positives in life and not negatives, which is why I try to live life with no regrets and holding no grudges. Being at Arsenal was more than just football, it was about community."

Ozil didn't mention Arteta in his statement, but the Spaniard had kind words for his former teammate.

Per talkSPORT he stated: "Mesut's achievements at Arsenal are undisputed. It was a privilege to play alongside him and, more recently, coach him. His creativity and vision led to many goals during his time in the Arsenal shirt.

"Mesut was at the heart of many great moments for this club over the years, including those three FA Cup final wins. These successes will always be part of our history. We thank Mesut and wish him all the best with Fenerbahce."

Topics: Football News, Football, Mesut Ozil, Transfers, Premier League, Arsenal

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a freelance journalist for SPORTbible and he has previous experience with Manchester United. He has spoken to some of the biggest names in sport including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, WWE COO Triple H and WWE legend The Undertaker. May or may not do a decent impression of Jamie Carragher.

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