Özil: A final shot at redemption for Arsene Wenger?

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!