London (AFP) – A second man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to trying to rob Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac of their watches in a moped ambush.
Jordan Northover, 26, admitted trying to steal the expensive items from the Premier League footballers in northwest London on July 25, a court heard.
Ashley Smith has already pleaded guilty to his role in the attempted raid involving close friends Ozil, 31, and Kolasinac, 26.
CCTV footage spread widely on social media showed burly Bosnian defender Kolasinac, nicknamed “The Tank”, chasing off the two moped attackers, who were wearing helmets and dark clothing.
German midfielder Ozil can be seen in his black Mercedes G class 4×4 before he reportedly took refuge in a Turkish restaurant.
World Cup winner Ozil and full-back Kolasinac were left out of Arsenal’s squad for their opening Premier League game but have since returned.
Ozil told the Athletic website in October that his main concern at the time was his wife Amine’s safety.
“They told him (Kolasinac) directly, ‘Give us your watch’. Sead’s reaction was really, really brave because he attacked one of the attackers,” Ozil said in the interview.
“The second one was in front of my car on his moped so I couldn’t drive.
“We were newly wed and I was scared about my wife. I was scared about Sead. I wasn’t thinking about myself. I was worried they were going to open my wife’s door and they tried, so I reached across her to keep it closed.”
