When Arsenal fans recall Mesut Ozil’s time at the club, there’s probably a fair share of division regarding his legacy.
Some remember Ozil as a genius in north London, a player who embodied everything Arsene Wenger loved about football.
And then some fans will, quite fairly in their own right,
point to the shortcomings of Ozil’s game, which were sorely exposed during the Unai Emery era.
Although, it was ultimately Mikel Arteta who called time on Ozil’s time at the club,
and left to join Fenerbahce in 2021.
Ozil played for Arsenal 254 times, scoring 44 goals and providing 75 assists for his teammates.
And although many first recall Real Madrid when thinking of Ozil’s career,
he played almost 100 more games for the Gunners.
That being said, Ozil appears to now have a successor to his crown at Madrid,
a 19-year-old he played alongside in Turkiye.
Madrid’s Arda Guler, who is an exceptional no 10 in his own right, has often been
compared to Ozil early in his career and has now announced himself to the world at Euro 2024.
Arsenal can repeat Martin Odegaard’s trick with a move for Arda Guler
Although Turkey was eliminated by the Netherlands on Saturday evening, Guler had an exceptional tournament, lauded as a new ‘superstar‘.
Daniel Sturridge declared Guler a ‘star in the making’ following his performance in Turkiye’s 2-1 defeat to the Dutch.
The young Madridista endured a fairly difficult first season in Spain,
perhaps explaining why Arsenal may have now sensed an opportunity to sign the 19-year-old.
Arsenal have reportedly been watching Guler at the Euros, and have surely been impressed.
And given Arteta is crying out for a player with an ‘x-factor’ someone who can decide games on their own, Guler is the perfect signing.
Arsenal previously stole Martin Odegaard from Madrid when he was struggling for first-team chances, and it’s time for them to repeat the trick.
There’s some talk that Guler could follow Odegaard’s path and leave on loan to Real Sociedad this summer.
But Arsenal should be intervening a lot earlier this time around.
Although the Gunners managed to sign Odegaard before his prime years,
they perhaps waited until Ozil had finished to bring him to north London.
And they can’t make the same mistake with Guler, who could be key to Arsenal winning silverware
in the future, a rare talent who is an incredible ball-striker, perfectly ready for Arteta’s eleven,