Arsenal: Mesut Ozil the single biggest individual question

Arsenal are primed and ready for the new season, with plenty of pieces squarely in place, but Mesut Ozil remains a massive question mark for many reasons.

Arsenal didn’t have many personnel needs going into the summer. They had plenty of ‘filling in the gap’ needs but nothing that required any massive signing of any sort. It was more about depth and maximizing the resources that we already had.

The midfield has filled in nicely and the defense just needs some fine-tuning. In the attack, it’s an embarrassment of riches. Not once have we stopped to think about any changes needed in the attack, except for a Plan B involving wingers.

That’s because when you make a list of the highest-profile players on this club, I’d wager that four of the top six or seven are in the attack.

All of them fit the need to. They all have their part to play, and while there will be lingering questions regarding how many players are actually called strikers when the formation is rolled out, the gaps are largely filled in all on their own.

But one question continues to linger, and that question is Mesut Ozil.

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The German international did not have a good summer. Despite being far from the guiltiest party concerning Germany’s early dismissal, he was still part of the unexpected failure, and that means it wasn’t a good summer.

Under Arsene Wenger, Ozil’s place made total sense. Wenger loved his creative artistry and allowed Ozil to be himself. It led to some good times and some bad times. The habitat around Ozil wasn’t always conducive to the way he wanted to play, but such is life in England.

Unai Emery is far different. In case you haven’t noticed his training sessions, he asks for a lot out of his players; and by a lot, I mean a lot physically. Which has always been Ozil’s biggest drawback – his inability to match the physicality of the league.

So how does he fit into Emery’s set-up? It’s not clear. That is the question we can’t answer until we get into it. Ozil just signed a new deal, so it’s crazy to think that he may leave already, not to mention that he is going on the team tour to Singapore.

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It’s tough to say. Ozil is not an Emery-esque player, but is Mesut Ozil, and that has to count for something.

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