Arsenal: Burden of proof is now Mesut Ozil’s

Lee Dixon has accused Mesut Ozil of losing his hunger since signing a new contract. While it is difficult to say for certain, the burden of proof is now the Arsenal midfielder’s to display otherwise.

Shortly after Arsenal re-signed Mesut Ozil to a new, £350,000-a-week contract last January, the most expensive contract the club has paid out in its history, breaking the rather stringent wage structure that was unwavering implemented prior to the eye-watering deal, I questioned the German’s motives in this piece.

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Ozil had been playing excellently. Then, suddenly, swiftly following the new deal, his performance level dipped substantially. In the five games after he put pen to paper, he recorded neither a goal or an assist. Was Ozil simply playing well to earn a new contract, and then, once he had that new contract, he cared not to continue working hard?

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It was a fair question to ask then, even after just a month of evidence. It is an even fairer question to ask today. Indeed, it is the very question that Lee Dixon is posing of Ozil. Speaking to the media this week, Dixon posited:

"“Signing him up on a big deal was seen as a must not to lose him. But the character of the player has to be taken into consideration. When you give somebody that amount of money it probably wouldn’t affect some players. But it looks as if it has softened him. He doesn’t look driven, he doesn’t look hungry, and when that happens you have a problem.”"

For Dixon, it is simple. Ozil has lost his hunger now that he has his money, and that has led to lacking performances over the past 12 months.

I am still not sure that a proper answer can be provided. Only Ozil will truly know how hard he is actually working and whether he has lost his winning appetite since signing the new deal — and he, obviously, would never publicly admit to as much, even if he had lost that competitive edge that Dixon poses.

But whereas before I was willing to give Ozil the benefit of the doubt, now, the burden of proof is undoubtedly his. It is now up to Ozil to prove that he is still working to be the best that he can be; it is up to Ozil to prove that his back spasms are of the past; it is up to Ozil to prove that his illness is genuine and not just because he cannot be bothered to play; it is up to Ozil to prove his value.

In the past, I have tended to side with Ozil because of his unique skill set. There are few players in the world that possess the same creativity in the final third as the World Cup-winner. But those nine lives have long run out, and I feel that large portions of the fan base have also run out of patience with Ozil.

The benefit of the doubt does not exist in the realm of Ozil anymore. He must now earn favour. He must now prove that he is still hungry to succeed. I hope that he can.