Arsenal: So what do you do with Mesut Ozil now?

Mesut Ozil will be an Arsenal player for another season. So what does Unai Emery do with the insanely talented but awkwardly fitting superstar now?

If they had their way, Arsenal would have sold Mesut Ozil this summer. While the German World Cup winner professed his desire to remain at the club and prove his worth, Unai Emery was keen to move on from him, his laziness, and his £350,000-a-week wages.

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But because of those very wages, as well as Ozil’s indignance to depart and the Gunners’ unwillingness to drop his price tag too substantially, the highly divisive midfielder remains with the club, his seventh season since signing in 2013.

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That begs a rather obvious but pertinent question: What do you do with an insanely talented individual who is costing a lot of money but has shown little commitment and application in the past and does not really fit into your plans for the future? This is the question that faces Emery at present.

Irrespective of all the financial and personal arguments swirling around Ozil, of which there are many, perhaps the biggest issue this season will be Emery’s change in system., away from a back three with a central attacking midfielder and towards a more Liverpoolian 4-3-3.

This shape incorporates three speedy, direct, advanced attackers, all of which play on the shoulder of the opposing defence, accompanied by a more workmanlike, industrious and mobile central midfield trio, all of which possess the technical qualities, athleticism and defensive awareness to play in a more rounded, box-to-box role.

Ozil does not really fit into any of these positions. He lacks the outright speed to play out wide and he is not a natural goalscorer with the physical presence to play with his back to goal in the centre-forward position. Equally, he does not have the natural athleticism, energy or defensive awareness and desire to drop into an orthodox central midfielder.

A throwback creative attacking midfielder is what Ozil is. He is a luxury. Some would argue that he is a luxury worth having, and the numbers do not exactly undermine that argument either. But whatever you slice it, if Ozil starts in the midfield, he takes away from somewhere else. He has to be accommodated, and in the 4-3-3 that Emery wants to use this season, there is no room for a player like that.

And yet, his creativity is unmatched. He is ingenious in and around the penalty area and when pressing for late goal, his craft and guile are invaluable. You do not exactly want to shun him on the sidelines just because he does fit your plan. So how do you balance these two, contrasting elements?

It might be foolish to think that Ozil could or will be a regular starter at some point this season. In all reality, he hasn’t been that for several years now. But as a creative substitute who is carefully inserted into certain fixtures, used sparingly throughout the season, and is introduced when chasing games late on, he can still be useful. And seeing as he is at Arsenal and they are paying him £350,000 per week, they may as well use him.