Mesut Ozil: I joined Arsenal for Arsene Wenger's brand of football

Technician: Ozil admires Wenger's philosophy
GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images
Sam Long15 September 2015

Mesut Ozil has revealed Arsene Wenger's reputation as a manager who promotes a brand of 'technically-strong' football influenced his decision to sign for the Gunners.

The midfielder became the north London club's record signing after he was deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid two years ago and holds the Frenchman's philosophy in high regard.

"Before I joined, I knew that Arsenal were always a technically-strong team," he told the club's official website. "That's also why I decided to join this club, because I know exactly what the manager wants from the team."

Wenger's passing style has not always yielded success in recent years - and his commitment to it is often criticised - but the German World Cup winner is proud to be part of the 65-year-old's methods.

Getty

"Our game centres around playing good, technical football and that's good.

"It's thanks to the manager because he's worked on that for years and has formulated a technically-gifted team that can dominate any opposition.

"That's why we're really pleased to have a manager like him."

The 10 Fastest Players on FIFA 16

1/10

Both Ozil's vision and languid style suit Wenger's vision well but his individual performances are yet to fully convince some fans in England.

The 26-year-old's body language can be a source of frustration for some Gunners supporters but Ozil has started the season in fine form and has recorded two assists in Arsenal's opening five games.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in