Arsenal: Mesut Ozil must be licking his lips

Arsenal are on the verge of adding some exhilarating attacking talent to the squad as Alexis Sanchez prepares to depart. While he waits for them to join, Mesut Ozil must be licking his lips.

When Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil, it didn’t quite feel real. This was a club that had always shied away from the big-name, high-profile signing. They had never bought a player for more than £20 million. Suddenly, they were splashing £42 million on Europe’s most wanted man. What in the world was going on?

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Ozil joined a team that was far worse than the one he left. Arsenal do not compare well to a team boasting the talents of Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and the like. But he came nonetheless. Still to this day, I am not sure why. Ozil has said that he had a special relationship with Arsene Wenger and that, in the signing process, he and Wenger had spoken on the phone and that that was what convinced him to make the move. But I can’t help think that there was something more at play.

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Specifically, I wonder if Wenger made assurances that money would be spent and players would be signed. Ozil was by far and away the best player in the squad at that time. He needed help. It would not surprise me to learn that Wenger had promised him that that help would come in the coming transfer windows. Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Petr Cech, for example, are perhaps some examples. And now, amidst the chaos and confusion engulfing Sanchez’s future, the player that Ozil had had the closest relationship with on the pitch, I wonder if exactly the same thing is taking place.

While the focus may centre on Sanchez and his soon-to-be-expiring contract, Ozil is in exactly the same situation. He could very well be freely talking to other clubs regarding a new contract in the summer right this minute. But there is a feeling that the German would quite like to stay if the right circumstances align. Perhaps those circumstances are who comes into the club to replace Sanchez.

Ozil, then, may be quite optimistic about the names that have arisen in recent days. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is at the heart of the deal which could see him be used as a makeweight by Manchester United. But there are other external options that are equally as exciting.

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund is perhaps the most prominent and significant name, with reports claiming that Arsenal are inching towards his signing. Malcom of Bordeaux is another who has been strongly linked with a North London move.

These are players that Ozil would flourish alongside. Pace, creativity, intelligent movement, sharp finishing, sound end-product. They are all traits that the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Iwobi and Olivier Giroud lack. This is a prospect that Ozil will be licking his lips at.

Next: Arsenal: Top 3 Alexis Sanchez replacements

If Arsenal are able to secure the services of two of the three, then I feel that Ozil could yet be considered to stay. That may be optimistic thinking. This club always has a way of letting the fans down in the transfer market, and expecting that to change now seems a little naive, perhaps. But good can still come from this calamity. It is good that will make Ozil salivate.