Özil: A final shot at redemption for Arsene Wenger?

At 10.30 pm BST, half an hour before the window closed, the official announcement that Arsenal fans had been waiting for with bated breath throughout the day was made. The club had acquired the services of a truly world class player and arguably one of the top 3 play-makers in the world, Mesut Ozil, a 24 year old German international, who still has his best days ahead of him and someone who can galvanize the team to victory any day.

Comparisons are already being made to the day in 1995, when the Gunners signed Dennis Bergkamp, the last time they splashed money really big in the transfer market (in relative terms of course). Only time will tell whether Özil will turn out to be similar to the “Non Flying Dutchman” as a player who will go on to transform the clubs fortunes . But, does this signing really mean that the experienced coach has been justified in his transfer policies in the past years? Was this the perfect summer that the fans had been hoping when Ivan Gazidis came out and publicly announced the war-chest at the manager’s disposal?

Wenger has always had a reputation of being stubborn and refusing to concede his mistakes, Abou Diaby being one such frustrating example. There is no doubting the fact that “Le Proffeseur” has helped the club traverse through a difficult time as they successfully moved from Highbury to the Emirates, a move with massive financial implications and still maintained their position in the elite Champions League throughout the period. This season is a chance for redemption for the Frenchman, an opportunity to invest in his team and show that he still had the hunger to win in him. In the absence of old foe and nemesis, Sir Alex Ferguson, Gooners were hoping that the gaffer would take it upon himself and re-establish the team as title contenders.

It seemed ironical to fans that someone who signed players like Sebastian Squillaci, Denilson, Nicklas Bendtner, Andre Santos and Park Chu Young, complained about the lack of top quality players available in the market. The implications of financial fair play and the exaggeration of value in the market by the so called rich clubs of Europe were also being thrown around in sufficient quantity to keep the fans at bay. While the gaps in the squad seemed evident to almost every frustrated fan, even more so after the mass clear-out, Wenger believed that his squad was sufficient and ready to mount a challenge for the title.

The fans seemed to have completely turned on him as the Emirates echoed with cries of “Spend some money” on the opening day defeat to Aston Villa. Wenger seemed to be frustrated himself when he lost his cool with the press in the post-match press conference subsequently. The coach did manage to come back with a bang with 3 impressive victories and one of them being a massive derby win against the neighbours who had just splashed £105 million in the transfer market assembling almost an entirely new team. This being a team whose transfer policy he questioned and aired his opinion that adding more than 3-4 players essentially disturbs the “balance” of a team. Given that he had already bought in Flamini and Sanogo, fans were already readying themselves for disappointment with only 1 or 2 fresh bodies coming in, if anything.

At the post-match interview after the North London Derby victory, the gaffer said “We might have a surprise in store for you” and gave a smile that left restless fans confused as to whether it was post-derby smugness or truth in its entirety. What eventually transpired was the acquisition of a name much much bigger than what even the most optimistic Arsenal fan would have dreamt of. Not 3 signings that broke their transfer record one after the other, but one that broke their transfer record 3 times over (well, almost), one that announced their arrival in the big league firmly and one that signaled their intentions to move from also-rans to strong title contenders. If the fans knew then that one of the two players Wenger intended to add to his team was Özil, they would have gladly accepted it and gone into a state of delirium right away.

When a player of such stature arrives at the club and goes onto describe how all that it took to convince him was one phone call from Wenger to choose Arsenal, you will be impressed by the command that the gaffer has over players. It could all be propaganda by the clubs PR, but if after all these years of silence, Wenger still has it in him to attract outrageous talents such as Özil to the club over other contenders, then doubters (including myself) might have to admit the club remaining miserly dormant in the transfer market was probably not all his fault.

This is the team that Wenger has at his disposal for the remaining 50 odd games this season. On paper, Arsenal have an outstanding first 11, some world class talent on the bench and a set of promising youngsters who are striving to make the cut (lets just forget Nicklas Bendtner for an instant). But, as luck would have it, currently the team has only one fit center forward and needed 2 teenagers from the academy to complete the bench for the first 4 games. Despite all of this, Wenger still believes he has enough ammunition to challenge for the title. Lest we forget, this is pretty much the same team that went through a sparkling run to seal the fate of the CL spot towards the end of the last season.

Did Arsenal really need Özil ? Probably not. Sure, they could have done without him this season. But, will he make a difference? A brief look at the games he has played since he signed, it is evident that he definitely will. Özil doesn’t fix all the problems that Wenger failed to address this transfer window, but his signing is definitely is a statement of intent. Wenger could have done a lot of things different this summer, but he chose not to for whatever reason of his. There are glaring deficiencies in this team that the £42. 5 million could have addressed in a very different fashion. But, as a silently jubilant Gooner, I am happy he didn’t, for then we might have never got Özil if he had done that!

Of course, the more interesting question that arises though is whether the Özil acquisition indicates a change in the long-standing transfer policy of Wenger and Arsenal. If this is a signal that the goal posts have shifted financially, fans will hope that the ambitions have shifted from calling the fourth place a trophy as well. If the vision that was sold to Özil by Wenger was that of becoming world-beaters and consistent challengers for the title, then it definitely is a time to rejoice for the fans of the club.

Wenger is currently in the last year of his current contract at Arsenal. Despite the last few years of failure (by his own and Arsenal standards), he still remains one of the most respected coaches in the continent and this signing proves exactly that. Wenger could choose to run down his contract and opt for more interesting assignments from possibly the French national team or rumoured interest from money bags Paris Saint-Germain. But, definitely this chance to make Özil his talisman of a new era, to combine his vision of building and promoting young talent (Wilshere, Ramsey & Gibbs) with the right mix of world class talent, to make Arsenal a title contender and a force once again should definitely prove to be a much more self satisfying challenge. This could be the chance for Wenger to bring back the past- a period of celebration, which most fans have forgotten by now. This could be his chance for redemption, this could be his chance to show that he still has it in him to compete and adapt to the modern game. I, for one hope that the Özil signing will prove to be the catalyst that excites “Le Professeur” from his bottle-crushing times once again and that he grabs this chance with both arms, and hopefully a trophy at the end of the season as well!

Happy 17^th Birthday Arsene Wenger! And after ages, I might just not regret saying it once again – IN ARSENE WE TRUST!