Arsenal Transfer News: Mesut Ozil Is Not the Answer to Gunners' Problems

Mesut Ozil is a great player, but he's not a great target for Arsenal.

At this point, there's no sense in making a joke about Arsene Wenger's transfer strategy. There comes a time when the comedy ends and the harsh realization sets in.

Perhaps Arsenal aren't making any purchases this summer. Perhaps Mathieu Flamini and Yaya Sanogo are as good as it's gonna get.

Although it never looked like more than a pipe dream, you can count Mesut Ozil off Arsenal's shopping list given his recent comments to The Guardian's David Hytner about his place at Real Madrid.

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I have a contract with Real Madrid and I am staying here. I want to be successful. A lot has been written in the media about other teams but I have the coach's confidence and I feel very good. Also, I have a contract until 2016. I have a very good understanding with all my team-mates and it is a pleasure and an honour to play for Real Madrid.

"

As weird as it sounds, Ozil's dismissal of any move out of Madrid could actually be a good thing for Arsenal.

The 24-year-old is a tremendous attacking midfielder. You put him in any club in the world, and its attack has gotten a lot better. There are few players who are as skilled a passer as the young German.

Ozil has everything you need when it comes to an attacking midfielder. He's got the pace, the dribbling and the creativity. He's even a threat for a long-range effort on goal every once in a while.

Now what does any of that have to do with Arsenal's current problems on the pitch?

In a perfect world, the Gunners would be able to add Ozil, among a host of other players. However, in reality, you don't see Arsenal getting much business done between now and September 2.

The problem is he's not the kind of player who's going to help the Gunners take that step to become a title contender again.

Arsenal already have plenty of creativity in the midfield. Santi Cazorla is a great option and plays the same position as Ozil, while Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey are both young and only getting better.

The Fulham and Fenerbahce performances are evidence that Arsenal are good enough as is when it comes to the attacking midfield.

With so little time left in the transfer window, Arsenal have to focus on addressing their positions of need. The time that they could have used to buy luxury players has passed.

Given Ozil's talent and production at Real Madrid, he'd likely command a fee somewhere near £40 million. While Arsenal could afford that, it would take a large chunk out of their transfer budget.

There's also the issue of his wages, which The Sun's Antony Kastrinakis reported could be close to £200,000 a week.

A centre-back, defensive midfielder and forward would all be better investments for the club at this stage. If Arsenal want to buy players at those positions, they're going to pay over the odds, as the selling clubs know they have all the negotiating power with the window shutting so soon.

Projecting an Ozil fee of around £40 million, that would probably leave another £30-40 million for Arsenal to spend. It would be hard to find two or three world-class players with that kind of money.

You also have to take into account the speed at which the negotiations would have to be done.

If Arsenal hitch their wagons to Ozil, they'd still be lacking the depth in defence and complement for Olivier Giroud that are necessary for them to reach the summit of English football again.