Mesut Ozil Masterclass Against Ludogorets Shows the Importance of New Contract

For 45 minutes, Ludogorets Razgrad provided Arsenal with a considerable test. They were efficient in possession and threatening on the break, and deputy goalkeeper David Ospina had to be at his best to prevent the Bulgarians grabbing a goal at the Emirates Stadium.

However, as the game wore on, Arsenal’s class told—principally in the shape of Mesut Ozil, who grabbed a stunning second-half hat-trick to put the gloss on a 6-0 thumping. It was a wonderful performance that underlined how essential it is that the Gunners tie him down to a new contract as soon as possible.

Ozil’s transformation into a goalscorer this season has been dramatic. He’s never been renowned for his predatory instinct—this, after all, was the first hat-trick of his professional career. The Germany international has been far more associated with assists. He has earned a reputation as a magisterial creator of goals but not a regular scorer.

The reality is Arsenal need more from their record signing than that. In the role Ozil plays, as the most advanced midfield player, the Gunners need goals.

Manager Arsene Wenger is understandably encouraged by what he’s seeing, per the team's official site: "He looks like he’s got a taste to score goals because he runs in behind more. Before, he only liked coming to the ball and providing, but we want him to be a provider and a scorer. It looks like he’s slowly moving toward that better balance."

It’s possible to contend that there isn’t much “slow” about Ozil’s transition. His goals against Ludogorets mean he now has six this season—in the entirety of 2015/16, he managed just eight in all competitions.

His improvement is partially a consequence of Arsenal’s new system. With Alexis Sanchez operating as the lone striker, there is an increased onus on Ozil to run beyond the Chilean.

When Olivier Giroud played as the centre-forward, the former Real Madrid man could afford to drop off in the knowledge that the Frenchman would play within the width of the box. However, Alexis likes to drop deep or wide, and that means that Ozil must take up more advanced positions.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

As he showed against Ludogorets, the timing of his runs is good. That’s no surprise for a player with supreme tactical intelligence. Witness the way he burst beyond the back line to score his first of the evening—although the immaculate first touch and straightforward finish caught the eye, the perfectly timed dart beyond the defence was just as important.

There’s also a change in the way Ozil takes his chances. In previous seasons, he tended to look for opportunities to pass when shooting seemed simpler. Now, he has greater confidence in front of goal. It’s almost as if he’s decided it might be easier to get the job done himself than rely on a less gifted team-mate.

Belief is key for any goalscorer, and Ozil is playing with conviction. The manner in which he swept home his second and, particularly, his third goals illustrate a player who feels he can do anything right now.

For his second goal of the night, he met Lucas Perez's cross with a right-footed volley that left 'keeper Vladislav Stoyanov stranded. Then, when the Spaniard lifted a neat pass over two defenders, Ozil lashed a left-footed strike into the near post for his third. 

Some might dismiss Ozil’s feats as flat-track bullying, but it’s worth remembering he’s also scored in a huge Premier League match with Chelsea this season.

Ozil also recorded his first assist of the campaign against the Bulgarian champions, knocking a pass across the field that Theo Walcott powered into the net from distance. However, for once it's not his creative aspect that will take the headlines. In the week he turned 28, the German seems to be evolving into a more complete player.

His impact is not lost on his team-mates. His compatriot Shkodran Mustafi told the club's official site:

"

Obviously I’m happy for him, it’s going to give him a lot of confidence for the next game and I’m sure that we are going to need that.

He has the qualities. He sees his team-mates, he sees all the runs, he has quality on the ball. His passing, his left foot...I think he has all that you need on the pitch.

So yeah, that’s what makes him good. And then scoring three goals in a game just shows how good he is.

"

Ozil’s emphatic demonstration of his quality should increase the urgency of Arsenal’s contract negotiations with their star player.

Both the German and Alexis' contracts are set to expire in 2018, and it’s imperative the Gunners act quickly to secure their signatures on new deals.

By the end of the season, their arrangements would have just 12 months left to run. At that point, Arsenal would probably be forced to sell their marquee duo rather than risk losing them on a Bosman transfer a year later.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Speaking about whether the Gunners can pay the kind of top salaries such players demand, Wenger told the club's official site:

"

We are of course in a position. ... I think these kind of players they can raise a little bit above the financial aspect of the game because they are not poor and they have to look really on the football side. Do the club meet their needs on the football front? If 'yes’, then a Premier League club can find an agreement with the players. We still keep values we have at the club—we pay what we can afford.

"

Wenger recognises it’s about more than money for that calibre of player. Ozil is a rich man—he could likely retire now and live comfortably for the rest of his days. For him, his next contract will be about fulfilling his sporting ambition. He still harbours hopes of landing the Premier League and the Champions League. In the next few months, he must decide whether he believes that’s possible with Arsenal or whether he’d be better served by a move elsewhere. 

The good news for Arsenal is that with Ozil in this form, they look like they stand every chance of winning something this season.

By adding goals to his game, the 2014 World Cup winner has made Arsenal a much more dangerous side—a side more equipped to win the trophies he craves.

Nevertheless, Wenger must be prepared to break his wage structure; against Ludogorets, Ozil showed just how enormous his value to Arsenal really is.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.