Arsenal seal Mesut Ozil transfer as £42m midfielder becomes British football's second-biggest signing ever
Wenger finally gets his man after tracking Real Madrid
playmaker for an amazing SEVEN years - with a little help from
Mertesacker
Joern Pollex
Arsene Wenger has gone from laughing stock to pulling off the biggest deal of the transfer window within the space of 24 hours.
Arsenal boss Wenger has signed Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil for £42million, which is the second biggest deal in British football history and nearly TREBLED the Gunners' transfer record.
It left Arsenal fans scratching their head in disbelief before finally toasting a deal which is designed to send out a message of intent of Wenger's determination to bring silverware back to the club.
Wenger has faced accusations all summer long that he is spendthrift, afraid to spend money and has bungled their transfer window after missing out on a string of big-name targets such as Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain.
But Wenger saved the best to last with the move to snatch Ozil and convince him to join despite strong interest from French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Mirror Sport understands that Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker played a role in the transfer as he sweet-talked his Germany team-mate and urged him to join him at the Emirates.
But the key was Wenger - the Frenchman has been watching Ozil's development for the past SEVEN YEARS and tried to sign him before he moved from Werder Bremen to Real three years ago.
Wenger sees Ozil as the perfect playmaker - technically superb, he has a decent goal-scoring record and his assists make him one of the best midfielders in the world.
The 24-year-old will slot into Arsenal's midfield trio after Wenger sold him a vision of being part of a dream team of three small midfielders - Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini and Jack Wilshere are already there - with Santi Cazorla switching to the left.
Cazorla had never played as a No10 before joining Arsenal a year ago, and Ozil's arrival means the Spanish midfielder can revert to the role he occupied at Villarreal and Malaga.
Arsenal desperately wanted a striker to bolster their squad, but Wenger believes the quality of his midfield is now so good that they are genuine title contenders.
It is understood the Gunners made one last-gasp enquiry for Liverpool's Luis Suarez and were rebuffed; meanwhile, Chelsea did not want to loan them Demba Ba as they see Wenger's men as rivals for the Premier League crown.
Wenger is clearly chancing his arm that Olivier Giroud can stay fit and firing all season long.
If he does, with Ozil supplying the bullets, Arsenal suddenly look a force to be reckoned with.
Arsenal boss Wenger has signed Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil for £42million, which is the second biggest deal in British football history and nearly TREBLED the Gunners' transfer record.
It left Arsenal fans scratching their head in disbelief before finally toasting a deal which is designed to send out a message of intent of Wenger's determination to bring silverware back to the club.
Wenger has faced accusations all summer long that he is spendthrift, afraid to spend money and has bungled their transfer window after missing out on a string of big-name targets such as Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain.
But Wenger saved the best to last with the move to snatch Ozil and convince him to join despite strong interest from French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Mirror Sport understands that Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker played a role in the transfer as he sweet-talked his Germany team-mate and urged him to join him at the Emirates.
But the key was Wenger - the Frenchman has been watching Ozil's development for the past SEVEN YEARS and tried to sign him before he moved from Werder Bremen to Real three years ago.
Wenger sees Ozil as the perfect playmaker - technically superb, he has a decent goal-scoring record and his assists make him one of the best midfielders in the world.
The 24-year-old will slot into Arsenal's midfield trio after Wenger sold him a vision of being part of a dream team of three small midfielders - Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini and Jack Wilshere are already there - with Santi Cazorla switching to the left.
Cazorla had never played as a No10 before joining Arsenal a year ago, and Ozil's arrival means the Spanish midfielder can revert to the role he occupied at Villarreal and Malaga.
Arsenal desperately wanted a striker to bolster their squad, but Wenger believes the quality of his midfield is now so good that they are genuine title contenders.
It is understood the Gunners made one last-gasp enquiry for Liverpool's Luis Suarez and were rebuffed; meanwhile, Chelsea did not want to loan them Demba Ba as they see Wenger's men as rivals for the Premier League crown.
Wenger is clearly chancing his arm that Olivier Giroud can stay fit and firing all season long.
If he does, with Ozil supplying the bullets, Arsenal suddenly look a force to be reckoned with.
Source. .. MIRROR
