Arsenal need to sell Mesut Ozil in order to buy into the new system under Unai Emery
September 2, 2013 is a day that will remain one of the biggest in Arsenal’s history.
It had been a long, long summer for Arsenal fans. After weeks of speculation and being linked to every big name player available in the market, it looked like Arsene Wenger was yet again going to go another transfer window without signing anyone.
The atmosphere amongst the fans was hostile, but following a north London derby victory on the penultimate day of the transfer window, Wenger delivered one of the most surprising deadline day moves of the Premier League era - the signing of Mesut Ozil.
A change in the wind
At the time, the dynamic #10 for Real Madrid was regarded as one of the best, if not the best, advanced playmaker in world football. Ozil was often praised by Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo for his creative abilities and was regarded as one of the best German players internationally. And he had signed for Arsenal.
Before the days of the north London club spending £35 million on the likes of Shkodran Mustafi, Arsenal was a team strapped for cash. The construction of the Emirates Stadium severely limited what Wenger could spend on new players, so when the Frenchman decided to spend a whopping £42 million on one of the best players in football, it was seen as a turning point for the club.
And life for Ozil in his first season at Arsenal was successful. The German international guided the Gunners to their first piece of silverware in nine years in the form of the FA Cup, and in 26 league games the then 25-year-old scored five goals and registered 10 assists.
Season two in north London, though, was one to forget. Knee injuries reduced the 2014 World Cup winner to only 22 Premier League appearances, and a woeful tally of four goals and six assists during that time despite the introduction of Alexis Sanchez in the summer, who lit up the Premier League for Arsenal with 16 goals and eight assists for the campaign.
The golden six months
2015/16 was to be the season Ozil finally proved his £42 million price tag, and he did… for half a season at least.
Arsenal found themselves top of the table going into the New Year, and Ozil had a large role to play in that achievement as the German tallied an incredible 13 assists in the opening 19 games of the season.
Watching Ozil during this period of his Arsenal career was joyous, to say the least. The kid who fell in love with the beautiful game on the working-class streets of Gelsenkirchen was emulating that kind of love and youthful bliss on the pitches of England.
