Arsenal FC: Should the Gunners Offload Mesut Ozil?

What a difference 13 months can make.

After acquiring Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for £85.3 million, Real Madrid were hoping to recoup funds last summer—when Arsenal came knocking with £42.5 million for creative midfielder Mesut Ozil on deadline day, the Spanish giants appreciatively obliged.

Known for his free-flowing offensive ethos, Arsene Wenger looked to have bought an ideal piece for his Emirates project, but lately things have not exactly gone to form.

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Ozil's lucrative price tag was fostered in the belief that, played centrally, he could arguably represent the best "No. 10" in European, and indeed world, football. Last year, Ozil often played in his preferred position: Notably in the FA Cup final vs. Hull City and the Gunners victories against Liverpool and Everton.

This season, though, he has been used primarily as a winger.

Wenger's decision to deploy the German international wide is nearly criminal and certainly a waste, but looking at the state of Arsenal's squad, one could make an argument the French manager has no other viable options, bar dropping Ozil completely.

Now "out for up to 12 weeks" with a partial knee-ligament rupture, via BBC Sport, Wenger has no recourse but to figure out his team without his £42.5 million man.

The Daily Star's Rhys Turrell has reported Theo Walcott and Serge Gnabry have returned to full training, which bolsters the Gunners wide play. Leading to the all-important question: What does Wenger do when Ozil returns? 

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If the German has his way, according to the Daily Mail's Rob Shepherd, it would be leaving north London altogether. Shepherd suggests Bayern Munich are interested in Ozil to the tune of £30 million and the midfielder would entertain a move this January, but under contract through 2017/18, Arsenal should not be impetuous in pulling any such triggers.

Plagued by aforementioned injuries, the chief reason Wenger cannot play Ozil in his preferred position is lack of holding-midfield depth. Mathieu Flamini is the Gunners' only recognised central defensive midfielder; the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere are more central midfielders with instinctual eyes for goal.

Arteta, one of the many fallen north Londoners, gives Wenger the best balance needed to play the 4-2-3-1, which includes a "No. 10" option—perfect for Ozil. Due to the Arsenal captain's injury, Wenger's chosen tactical arrangement, given his roster, is the 4-3-3.

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Were Ozil a more defensive-minded footballer, willing to track midfield runners, giving him a more box-to-box role might solve Arsenal's dilemma, but the German is an attacking savant, not a defensive one.

The answer to Wenger's issue has been known since the opening of 2014's summer transfer window: Procuring an out-and-out central defensive midfielder. Sami Khedira and William Carvalho, per The Telegraph's Matt Law, were targets in August, but whether by lack of funds, conviction or a mixture of both, neither midfielder was obtained.

One issue with this train of thought could be man management.

Acquiring Khedira, Carvalho or any reputable holding option would cost a sizable amount, suggesting they would start automatically, ahead of already installed players. Benching Wilshere and/or Arteta, however, does not seem to agree with Wenger's plans, and as such the form of Ozil has suffered—sacrificing the German's potential "No. 10" role to play the more expansive 4-3-3.

For our collective entertainment: A full-strength Arsenal starting XI, with a (near) world-class CDM, might look something like this:

@danieltiluk // EPL Index's Tactics Board

In closing, were Walcott's prospective return to be successful, then selling Ozil should be parsed in future months, but the frustration surrounding Arsenal's team sheet can be solved rather simply.

Consequently, losing £12.5 million in transfer fees and possibly your best player, when buying a midfield anchor is of far greater import, would be the footballing equivalent of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

If Wenger is intent on getting the best from his German midfielder, that being playing him as a "No. 10" in the 4-2-3-1 (ideally purchasing a central defensive midfielder in January), then offloading should be nonsense; but if the French boss insists on playing 4-3-3 and/or Ozil on the wing, putting everyone out of their abject misery seems the humane thing to do.

*Stats via statbunker.com; transfer fees via soccerbase.com where not noted.

Follow @danieltiluk