Arsenal: Reine-Adelaide The Natural Heir to Mesut Ozil

With Iwobi, Ramsey and Cazorla not entirely convincing in the number 10 role, is it Arsenal’s latest squad member Reine-Adelaide that is the most natural heir to Mesut Ozil?

Out of all the positions at Arsenal, the one behind the striker is seemingly easiest to fill. Mesut Ozil is easily one of the first names on the team sheet as the chief creative force. While the striker and centre back roles are much debated, Arsenal fans are calmed by the fact that the Mercurial Mesut is there to provide some real star quality.

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When Ozil is absent, there are many more questions, though. With Wenger known for collecting diminutive creative midfielders, there are many obvious replacements to take over. Need it be in the event of an injury or in a secondary competition to afford the German a rest.

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Despite this, I believe one young prospect could rubberstamp this position in future at Arsenal. While the more likely candidates such as Ramsey and Cazorla are often mentioned, their suitability to a deeper midfield role means that is the position which comes most naturally to them.

Even Alex Iwobi, a brilliant prospect himself, looks more at ease on the left side of attack cutting in onto his right foot. The most natural heir to Mesut Ozil then remains…enter Jeff Reine-Adelaide.

When the mighty Mesut moves past his prime years at the Emirates, Wenger – or whoever is the manager at the time, though that is most probably still Wenger – will need to fill his shoes. He should look no further than Jeff Reine-Adelaide.

The Frenchman may not have imprinted a stamp on the first team just yet – though he has been called up to the senior squad for the first time – like fellow youngster Iwobi, but when looking at his physical and technical attributes, he looks most suited to the number 10 role in future.

Standing at 6 foot tall with a physical stature similar to that of Pogba, the youngster already fulfils the physical demands required for the role (something even the magical Ozil had to muscle up for). While this is impressive, it’s technically where Reine-Adelaide really shines.

Anyone who has watched the U21’s at Arsenal will know he can thread passes through the eye of a needle and looks more composed than anyone with the ball at his feet. His ability to glide past players is even reminiscent of Ozil himself. His statistics may not scream future superstar just yet but the Frenchman certainly has the raw materials to work with.

This season looks a little early for a real breakout for Jeff with his action likely to be limited to Capital-One Cup appearances. But if he impresses Le Prof, who is to say he can’t pull a Bellerin/Iwobi and make a real mark on the first team?

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Fans may wish to see Mesut Ozil lacing up for Arsenal for decades to come but the reality remains that at some point he will decline. With Wenger the ultimate fan of ‘internal solutions’, the heir to the German may well be Frenchman Jeff Reine-Adelaide.