Is the Premier League Finally Seeing the Real Mesut Ozil at Arsenal?

In September 2013, on the night Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid, there were unashamed celebrations on the streets surrounding the Emirates Stadium. 

It was the dog days of summer, and in the final hours of the transfer window, a crowd of Arsenal fans had been drawn to the Emirates and gathered around a Sky Sports News reporter eager for updates on new arrivals.

When it was finally confirmed Ozil was an Arsenal player, the news was greeted with the same excitement as a last-minute winner against Tottenham Hotspur would be in the stadium behind them.

Starved of a trophy for eight years, the signing of a world-class player yet to reach his prime felt like something worth celebrating.

But in the two seasons since Ozil's arrival, he has been something of an enigma at Arsenal; the German is a wonderfully gifted player, but one who has too often failed to show it when it matters.

There were some goals, some assists and consecutive FA Cup triumphs at Wembley, as well as a World Cup won on his summer holidays to Brazil in 2014.

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But Ozil had been bought to transform Arsenal from title challengers into title winners and from making up the numbers in the Champions League to winning it.

He was, and remains, Arsene Wenger’s record signing—the one who was worth his manager ditching his famously cautious approach in the transfer market. But in his first two seasons, he struggled to look like a £42 million player.

Ozil’s gifts naturally won him admirers, but he looked a typical Arsenal player, emblematic of the second half of Wenger’s reign at the club: a pretty player, easy on the eye but occasionally too weak and neither consistent nor clinical enough.

But all that appears to have changed this season. Finally, Arsenal might be able to boast the player they thought they were buying in 2013—a player capable of being the catalyst for the real trophies.

On Tuesday, Ozil delivered when it mattered against one of the three best club sides in the world, guiding Arsenal to a crucial victory over Bayern Munich.

Maybe inspired by facing many of his international colleagues, Ozil gave a supreme performance, full of fluidity, pace and movement that constantly troubled Bayern. But there was also intelligence, and he attacked and pressed at the right times.

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And right at the end, as Arsenal were hanging on, desperate to protect their three points, he crowned his display with a goal to make it 2-0, which released the tension at the Emirates and allowed him to bask in his moment.

Do this against Sunderland, and it is appreciated. But do this against a Bayern Munich side managed by Pep Guardiola that had won its previous 12 games, and you are loved and cherished forever. 

This was all very different to 20 months ago when, in the wake of Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Bayern at the Emirates, Ozil had felt compelled to issue an apology for a penalty miss and admit the German side had been difficult to overcome.

After that defeat, Arsene Wenger said he could see the confidence drain from Ozil, who appeared broken by the experience. And as relayed by the Guardian, the Arsenal manager expanded on his belief that “confidence is your petrol in the team, it gives you the desire to play.”

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It is increasingly clear Ozil has grown as a player, has a full tank of this petrol and has come to realise he could lead Arsenal to something special this year.

Despite that win over Bayern, the Champions League remains a stretch, but they are certainly in the running for the Premier League, where they are now level with Manchester City at the top of the table. 

In early October, I was at the Emirates to see this rejuvenated Ozil rampage through a static Manchester United.

He was a lethal blur as he swapped passes with Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott, scoring the second goal and helping give Arsenal a 3-0 lead after just 19 minutes. Louis van Gaal's team was powerless to stop him.

On Saturday, Ozil was again in imperious form, slotting through some wonderful passes, including the assist for Olivier Giroud's opening goal in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Everton.

The German now has 11 assists in the Premier League during 2015, the joint-most along with team-mate Santi Cazorla and Manchester City's David Silva.

Ozil always had the nice touches and flair, but he is now working hard and covering more of the pitch.

The unspoken truth is Ozil probably didn’t want to join Arsenal in 2013—few actually choose to leave Real Madrid—and that confidence, that petrol, would have been drained by being shoved out of the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Another Madrid outcast, Angel Di Maria, went through the same experience at Old Trafford last season, but whereas United grew impatient, Arsenal stuck by Ozil and are now enjoying the benefit.

Ozil is happy and settled and has a platform to prove he belongs to be mentioned among the very best footballers in the world.

Not with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but that perch just below them is where he could now claim a deserved place.

Approaching his peak over the next two seasons, if Ozil continues this season’s form, he could be responsible for more celebrations outside the Emirates next May.