Who has been Arsenal’s Player of the Year?

Mesut Ozil

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I never though I’d be mentioning Mesut Ozil in an “Arsenal Player of the Year” talk. After a sputtering start to his Arsenal career, Mesut Ozil returned from injury this year looking like the Mesut Ozil that was the pivot of a Real Madrid attack for years. He’s proved his critics wrong in a big way.

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While he doesn’t have the solid stats (4 goals, 6 assists) that we’d like to see from a No. 10, he’s still become a brilliant maestro at the center of a very potent attack. His passing is absolutely superb, as it’s always been and now that he’s bulked up, he’s not so easily shrugged off the ball anymore.

Since Cesc Fabregas was turned away by the Gunners to give Mesut Ozil a monopoly on the No. 10 spot, let’s compare the two and the season they had (while throwing in PFA player of the year Eden Hazard as well). Again, the hard stats aren’t comparable, but the stats that are more under his control may surprise you (stats on a per 90 minute basis, Squawka.com):

[table id=46 /]

When you can sit in the company of Captain Fantastic and the PFA player of the year and take the majority of those categories, you know you’re doing something right. Mesut Ozil is having a fantastic year and any MVP at Arsenal talk has to include the German genius.

Next: Alexis Sanchez