It’s official, Arsenal have smashed their transfer record and signed Mesut Özil from Real Madrid in a deal worth £42.3 million. Özil is expected to sign a five-year deal worth £130,000 per week making him the current highest earner at the club. The move shatters the Arsenal record transfer by three fold and brings in the most talented CAM in Europe.
Reports suggest Arsenal agreed a fee with R. Madrid on Sunday before moving towards finalizing terms with Özil early Monday morning. Özil then had a medical in Germany before joining the German national team for international duty. It is expected Özil will wear the Arsenal #11 shirt.
With the window closing and Arsenal supporters were worried that the club would be left without any significant signings, the rumour mill picked up almost the minute the North London Derby was over. From his post-match interview Wenger suggested the club would be doing something special and the signing of the German international is certainly something special.
Mesut Özil is one of the finest midfielders in the world and is considered to be one of the best #10s for his ability to unlock defenses and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Özil has provided 94 assists in the last three seasons for both R. Madrid and Germany, which is more than both Iniesta and Xavi combined. One Cesc Fabregas on the other hand has created (only!) 49 assists for both country and club. In addition to his ability to create goal-scoring opportunities, Özil has also scored 40 goals for both club and country since joining R. Madrid, a fantastic return to go along with his staggering number of assists.
Özil’s also has a fantastic passing range and averaged close to 3 key passes per game last season which was almost double more than the next best passer on the team (X. Alonso). Özil has the ability to seamless drift from a deep lying position in midfield to playing off the shoulder of a #9 and the quickness with which he passes makes it extremely difficult to mark him. In addition, Özil is great crosser of the ball and can also play on the right wing if needed.
When Arsenal finished the 2012/13 season with a gritty win at Newcastle, it was clear Arsenal would be looking to spend big one two areas in the summer transfer window; defensive midfield & striker. So you could forgive Arsenal fans (and football pundits) for wondering why Arsenal would instead go big on an attacking midfielder. However once you dig into the way Arsenal operates tactically, it was clear that Arsenal’s biggest issue last season was not a defensive one but instead needing more creativity from an attacking sense. Arsenal managed to score one goal or less in close to 60% of EPL games played last season. In addition, Arsenal (who historically rank among the best at creating goal scoring chances) ranked below Everton in clear cut goal scoring chances created last season; that would be ranking below a Moyes managed Everton.
Arsenal have needed a pure #10 ever since the departure of Cesc Fabregas and while Santi Cazorla. Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey have all shown flashes of brilliance and the potential to take on the mantle of being Arsenal’s new #10, Özil is a player that is on an entirely different level compared to the rest as is evident by his world class stats at R. Madrid.
Özil would fit perfectly in the Arsenal system as he flourished in a very similar 4-2-3-1 system employed by Mourinho at R. Madrid playing the #10 role. Özil coming on board means he can bring the best out of Giroud. As a reference point on how a world class attacking midfielder can help even a decent striker, think back to how good Cesc made Adebayor look. That’s exactly what Özil can do for Giroud’s game and for Arsenal attacking game as a collective. As a passer, Özil would compliment the Arsenal midfield style of play as he is extremely comfortable playing tight to other midfielders around him and his quick passing would only give our attacks more guile. Also Özil is a fantastic counter-attacking player, one who can seamless string passes together and provide a perfectly weighted ball to either flank with ease. His brand of counter attacking is direct and would greatly benefit Theo Walcott’s game as he continues to develop on the right wing.
Ultimately what Özil brings to Arsenal goes beyond just his production. There is no question that Mesut Özil is a marquee signing. He isn’t a player with promise nor is an experienced player from an unknown league. He is the finished product and is already at 24 years of age a world-class player. There is no question that his arrival will provide the team with the added belief and desire to succeed and can only help Arsenal push on from a fantastic close to the last season.
With Arsenal smashing their previous transfer record to sign him, Özil in many ways represents more than just a signing. Özil’s arrival means Arsenal are finally flexing its financial power and are making the push to being a legitimate force in European (and World) football. Make no mistake; Özil is the biggest player Arsenal have signed since Bergkamp/Campbell. World-class players want to play alongside other world-class players and can also help make good players in the squad great. That is what Özil represent to Arsenal. Arsenal fans have been patient and that patience is starting to now pay off. With Özil signed and more to come, Arsenal just put the EPL and the CL on notice.
MESUT ÖZIL | Goals, Skills, Assists | Real Madrid | 2012/2013 (HD)
