Arsenal’s ‘frustrating’ £30m star at risk of becoming the new Ozil

They may not have brought them a Premier League title, but Arsenal signed some truly world-class players during their time at the Emirates.

Alexis Sanchez, for example, was a flashy, unstoppable force, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was at one point a deadly centre-forward, although his form faltered towards the end.

But when it comes to signing the most prestigious player of his time at the Emirates, it’s impossible to ignore Mesut Ozil.

The Germany international was a volatile footballer, but his time at the club wasn’t all that great. And now one of Mikel Arteta’s signings could be heading down a similar path.

What went wrong with Mesut Ozil at Arsenal

There have been countless memorable transfer deadline day moments over the years, but one that stands out for Arsenal fans was the last-minute announcement of Ozil’s signing in 2013.

It was incredible to see one of the best midfielders in the world leave Real Madrid for the Gunners, but at the time it felt like the club were on the verge of achieving big things.

Things went well in his first few years, and in three seasons the German helped the club win the FA Cup, scoring 61 goals.

But as things worsened in the final years of Arsene Wenger’s reign, fans grew frustrated with the former Madrid star, who had become less and less of an influence on the game after signing a £350,000-a-week deal in January 2018.

The World Cup winner’s situation worsened further under Unai Emery, before Arteta eventually dropped him from the squad completely, with many pundits highlighting a lack of off-the-ball effort as the main reason.

Finally, in January 2021, seven and a half years after joining the club and a year and a half after being effectively frozen out, the magical midfielder left the Emirates and joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer.

Ozil made a total of 254 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 44 goals and providing 75 assists, and while a large portion of the fan base still loves him, it’s hard to deny that his last few years in red and white were low.

Unfortunately, there are arguments that one of Arteta’s current star players could be following a similar path.

arsenal modern ozil

Now, you could certainly argue that a few of Arsenal’s players have underperformed a little outside of substitute appearances, from Victor Goqueres to Gabriel Martinelli.

However, when talking about modern-day Ozil players, it is impossible to ignore Martin Odegaard.

Like the German, the Norwegian is an international midfielder who joined Arsenal from Real Madrid for £30 million and became a key member of the first team.

Moreover, like the World Cup winner, the Drammen-born maestro had a bright start to his career in North London, but has seen a slight decline in his ability over the past year or so.

For example, in his third season with the club, the 26-year-old ended up scoring 15 non-penalty goals in league games alone, and also recorded seven assists.

The following year, he had 11 goals and 12 assists in 48 games, but that dropped to six goals and 12 assists in 45 games last season.

Furthermore, whether due to injury or other reasons, he hasn’t made as much of an impact in big games as he used to, with podcaster Rohan Jivan calling his performance in the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain “frustrating”.

Things haven’t been much better this season, with just two assists in 14 appearances, and although he made some important passes against Everton on Saturday night, nothing really came of it.

After all, Odegaard is, in the words of content creator Conor Hamm, a “sensational” footballer who can be expected to return to his best this season.

However, as things stand, he is a player that fans have divided opinions about, and if he does not continue to grow, there is a possibility that he will become a new Ozil, and not in a good way.