Why Manchester United should not hesitate to sign Mesut Ozil in January
According to Daily Star, Mesut Ozil could complete a mega-money move to join Premier League rivals Manchester United in January. Ozil, who signed a new contract in January to extend his stay at the Emirates till 2021, is currently the highest paid player in Arsenal’s ranks with weekly wages of £300,000.
The German playmaker joined Arsenal back in the 2013/14 season and has made a total of 145 appearances in the Premier League till date, scoring 27 goals and setting up another 50. He had an impressive season last time around under Arsene Wenger, where he proved his worth with 4 goals and 8 assists. In other words, he is Arsenal’s assist-king.
Despite being the highest paid player in their ranks, Ozil’s first-team position is under threat in the current season. Much of that has been down to his inability to adapt to Unai Emery’s style of play which involves more pressing in the final third. The 29-year-old has not been able to increase his work rate to suit the demands of the manager.
The fact that he missed the game against West Ham United due to an illness (h/t The Mirror) was probably an effort made by the manager to mask his turbulent relations with the player. Ozil has been shifted from his playmaker’s role behind the striker to the flanks and he has not looked comfortable. This goes to show that his future at Arsenal is far from settled and he might not receive regular minutes in his preferred position under Emery, despite signing a new contract.
On the other hand, Manchester United haven’t hit the ground running in the current season. While the Red Devils have been poor defensively, they haven’t worked wonders in the attacking third either. Jose Mourinho has stuck to his rigid tactics which haven’t helped the midfielders build up the play. They lack cohesion in the final third and as a result, United have looked like a bunch of individuals who have their own ideas to execute.
United have been rather one-dimensional in their attack. They have utilized Alexis Sanchez and Luke Shaw to play crosses into the box, aiming for target man Romelu Lukaku to meet them. Although Lukaku has three goals to his name so far, the management has little reason to be pleased with his contribution since has squandered loads of good chances.
While Paul Pogba’s impact in the final third has been limited due to the manager’s choice to play him as a sweeper for the porous rearguard, Sanchez and Juan Mata have been rather isolated on the wings. The opposition defenders have found life easy defending against a bunch of individuals.
To put things into perspective, signing Ozil could work in favour of bringing that much-needed cohesion to United’s attacks. A typical left-footed player defined by technical brilliance and vision, Ozil is perhaps the missing link in United’s final third.
Not only will he supply Lukaku with those incisive through balls but he could also link play with Sanchez and Mata on the wings. His vision and the ability to play one-twos in the final third should add another dimension to United’s attack.
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Furthermore, he worked with Sanchez when the Chilean was at Arsenal, meaning he could form a menacing trio with Lukaku as the target man. With Ozil in the team, United should make maximum use of their left-axis with Shaw, Sanchez and Lukaku.
Hence, Manchester United should bolster their attacking options by signing the German wizard. It could be the deal that goes on to decide where United finish in the Premier League.
