Mesut Ozil Set for Arsenal Start as Father Issues Real Madrid Legal Threat

Mesut Ozil will waste no time embedding himself into life at Arsenal, taking on the English media in his first press conference on Thursday before walking directly into the Gunners’ starting XI at the weekend.

And his father, Mustafa, will fight a separate battle on behalf of Ozil after promising to take legal action against former employers Real Madrid, according to Bild (subscription required) via Goal.com's Ewan Roberts.

Arsenal’s new record signing after making a £42.4 million switch from Madrid, the German international will earn his first start at Sunderland, according to widespread reports. Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail has more:

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The £42 million man will report to the club’s London Colney HQ today for his first training session since arriving from Real Madrid.

And (Arsene) Wenger is set to use the Germany international at the first possible opportunity when his side travel to Sunderland on Saturday after Tomas Rosicky returned from international duty with a thigh injury.

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Ozil should have no problem with match sharpness after featuring in Madrid’s opening games of the season, in addition to playing and scoring for Germany in midweek.

However, the major risk for Wenger is that the player may need time to adjust to the relentless pace of the Premier League. Ozil is a player who likes time on the ball, but a Sunderland side roared on by their Stadium of Light crowd are unlikely to grant the 24-year-old space.

An ideal scenario would see Wenger ease his star man into the action from the bench, but injuries to Mikel Arteta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rosicky leave the Gunners stretched in midfield.

Ozil’s baptism of fire will begin on Thursday when he faces the media for the first time. Issues surrounding the playmaker’s personal life are likely to be raised after his father hit back at Madrid president Florentino Perez.

In a recent article published by abc.es, Perez made a series of derogatory comments regarding Ozil’s character, per 101 Great Goals.

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Mesut discovered the world and became obsessed with women, a world that was alien to him before.

It wasn’t about the women but about the late nights, the hours spent not sleeping. He wasn’t a good professional.

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Ozil’s father has since responded, claiming Madrid are merely attempting to bad-mouth a player that neither the fans nor players wanted to lose. Roberts of Goal.com provides the quotes, originally reported by Bild:

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Just because a man earns a lot of money, doesn't mean he's a man of honour. And Perez is no man of honour.

We will defend ourselves legally. If Mesut had an unprofessional life in Madrid, then why did he always play? They want to blame him now, because the fans and teammates are angry.

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The cloud over Ozil’s reported off-field activities does not provide an ideal environment in which to start a new career, but the German goes about his work quietly and rarely loses focus when on the field.

Wenger hopes to be able to support his new signing with Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott—both winning their injury battles—at Sunderland, and Ozil will soon feel at home when he hears the hero’s welcome that awaits him from the Arsenal support.