Arsenal: Mesut Ozil Is Arsene Wenger’s Spirit Animal

Arsenal signaled a changing of the times when they landed Mesut Ozil in 2013, but what future do he and Arsene Wenger share with the club?

Signing Mesut Ozil was everything that Arsenal supporters had learned Wenger would never do. It was out of nowhere, incredibly expensive, and game changing.

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It took awhile, but last season Ozil really came into it and made himself a superstar all over again.

That was his golden time with the Gunners and, unfortunately, we keep hanging on with the belief that it can come back and reoccur. The problem is that every time he gets close and reminds us of how brilliant he is, he falters again and fails for several more matches.

Ozil has not been the same since his 19 assist year and Wenger has not been as successful since 2005. But the memories may be blinding us. Many have wised up to Wenger and realized that the best may be to move on and enjoy the memories. But will the same happen to Ozil?

Ozil came out of the gates this season on fire, as did Theo Walcott. But with Walcott, I always recognized that his success was completely dependent on the success of those around him. He was just a surfer on the wave. What if Ozil isn’t much different?

The arguments I hear are always the same. You keep Ozil for those magical moments. Those brilliant bouts of inspiration where he reminds you why you have him.

Those moments are well and good, but you don’t get a player for moments, and Ozil’s moments are getting fewer and farther between. I don’t ever think this way about Alexis. When he isn’t performing well, at least he is busting his arse, winning back the ball and working his way out of a funk.

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With Ozil, you have to wait until the door opens and he lets himself out of that funk. It’s not as proactive, it’s not as reliable.

I love watching Ozil as much as the next guy and I do appreciate how highly he speaks of the club. But Arsenal isn’t a rehab where stars can hang out and try to figure out how to be consistent. Ozil had his glory year and it’s becoming clear that getting back there isn’t going to be as easy as we had hoped (sounds like Aaron Ramsey).

If this club could sell guys like Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires while they were still in form and still capable of more years of brilliance, then why are we now in the habit of holding onto players and nursing them for all they’re worth?

If Ozil’s performances keep up like this for the rest of the year, then he should be sold. You need your big stars to step up when the team needs them the most. Ozil has done the opposite, disappearing shamefully in matches where we need him the most. And, according to price tag alone, he is our biggest star.

I don’t want to come off as harsh or unappreciative, but clearly this club that Wenger has constructed has its downfalls and those downfalls need to be picked out, as they are getting in the way of legitimate title contention. Wenger may damn well be one of the downfalls himself, in fact, I’m starting to think that he is.

Ozil saying that his future depends on Wenger is all that needs to be considered. He is Wenger’s spirit animal, a reincarnation of Wenger’s mind on the pitch. He’s a philosopher. He’s a thinker. So much so that you can oftentimes see him out-thinking himself on the pitch. He is frustrating and has a knack for disappearing.

But he is also loyal. He is magical at times and he can often deliver such massive helpings of reward that you forget that he was ever frustrating in the first place. But then it happens again, and the rewards become more and more distant.

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It’s a painful crossroads to be at, but the performances just aren’t there and it absolutely is holding the Gunners back. There have to be consequences to poor performances, poor seasons, poor anything, and right now there aren’t.