Asser Ghozlan
First off, the deadline-day signing of Mesut Özil was the sort of thing us Gooners have pined for for years and years. The sort of thing that would have us drooling jealously as our rivals up and down the country would secure name after name, talent after talent, in years bygone, whilst we contented ourselves with a mixture of acquisitions ranging from the merely capable to the utterly contentious.
Well, it was our rivals who were left drooling this time, and Özil’s signing has been mooted as a potential turning point in the history of Arsenal Football Club, and indeed Arsène Wenger. And rightly so.
Whilst many naysayers and doom-mongers had brazenly suggested that he was not the sort of signing we needed (and I will indeed come onto who and what else was a dire necessity), I simply do not buy into such an argument. Such sceptics are the same people who will have once cried out at the Club’s stagnating stench of ambitionless squalor. In my mind, a team with ambition is a team striving for the very best quality. Also in my mind, is that any team with ambition needs a man of the ilk and silk that has catapulted him into European football’s most gifted true playmaker over the past five years, and with his best years still ahead of him. Mesut Özil is such a man.
But enough of the little wizard for now.
Once the furore of “Mesut mania” had died down after the clock struck eleven on Monday last week - a good few days later, admittedly, and with the full squad list out in full force - it is clear to see that, whilst comprehensive enough, it is a list with one or two glaringly unfilled gaps yet to be. Not millions, as some will have you believe, but one or two.
Despite an impressive shut-out in the North London derby, Wojciech Szczesny has more than met his match in the loan arrival of Emiliano Viviano from Palermo. A relatively unknown quantity here, but highly rated in Italian and European circles nevertheless.
Mathieu Flamini showed his potential worth with a solid substitute re-debut in the same match, and may yet be one of Wenger’s best pieces of business in recent years, given our desperate need for a holding midfield player. Meanwhile, up front, another freebie in Yaya Sanogo has added depth and much-needed power and aerial prowess. Again, although relatively unknown, a talented product from France’s famous Clairefontaine Academy, he is sure to play an important role as the season progresses.
Yes, there was a massive cock-up involving the botched signings of Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez, and yes, it seems that the Club had tried, and were willing to put their money where their mouths were.
Sadly, trying alone may not be enough, and when your main striker states the need for a suitable partner/cover, you just know that it cannot be all under control. Wenger was clearly keen to add a world-class name, yet the Club failed with no real explanation as to how and why.
Over to the defence, and another gap resurfaces. With Thomas Vermaelen out and having dipped in form drastically over the last year, we are one injury/suspension away from trouble. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have formed an impressive unit in the centre of the defence, but a further addition was needed. And yet, despite being linked to several, including Ashley Williams and Toby Alderweireld, nothing materialised and we are left with a situation of huge risk. Equally as risky is the sole reliance in the centre of defence on the versatility of Bacary Sagna, who, although useful, is not a cause for confidence come the biggest of clashes.
Nevertheless, we have been active in the market, with the last laugh for Wenger’s coup in convincing Mesut Özil that his future lies at Arsenal.
And whilst I have no doubts about his ability to light up the Premier League, it is equally important to realise that we are still thin on the ground, and that further additions may be considered come January.
So, all in all, a less than satisfactory summer has been dramatically upgraded, thanks to Özil. It remains to be seen how the team dynamic changes, and whether we may beg Arsène to delve into his kitty once again in the winter.
For now, however, Mesut Özil is the hero of the hour, and who knows, maybe the catalyst for a glory-laden season.
