Arsene Wenger hinted at a big surprise signing during his press conference following Arsenal's win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, and he might not have been joking. According to Sky Sports and SER, the Gunners are working on a deal to bring in Mesut Özil that could cost up to €50 million, or £42.6 million in pounds.
Mesut Özil could move to Arsenal in deadline day shocker
Swapping Mesut Özil for Gareth Bale doesn’t necessarily make Real Madrid better, nor does the German playmaker fill Arsenal’s holes, but just go with it. This is cool.
Alexander Hassenstein
La SER say Arsenal and Madrid have a pre-agreement for Özil - for a fee of "between 45-50 M euros"
— AS English (@English_AS) September 1, 2013
Sky Sources: Arsenal in advanced talks to sign Real Madrid's Mesut Ozil #SSN
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 1, 2013
With Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla in the team, central attacking midfield isn't exactly Arsenal's biggest need. Those players can all play multiple positions, however, and many would argue that both Wilshere and Cazorla play better when they're not Arsenal's No. 10.
That's not to mention the fact that Mesut Özil is indisputably a more accomplished footballer than all three of those players. Regardless of need or price, Özil is a player who is going to make just about any team he joins better. He's a guy you build a team around, not someone you bring in as filler, and there's no reason to believe that Arsenal can't construct a coherent side that consists of Özil, Cazorla and Wilshere at the same time.
It would probably require a midfielder who's a bit more defensively minded than Aaron Ramsey, though, and that's no insult to the very much in-form Welshman. Supporters of the Gunners will be hoping that Özil is supplemented by someone who's a bit more of a tackler than Ramsey and a bit less injury prone than Mathieu Flamini.
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