Mesut Ozil Joins Real Madrid for £12.5m

German youngster Mesut Ozil has been Jose Mourinho’s first major signing after taking over as the Real Madrid manager earlier this summer. German club Werder Bremen has revealed that they have agreed a deal worth £12.5 million with Real Madrid for the 21-year-old attacking midfielder.

Following his elegant performance for Germany at the World Cup in South Africa, the 21-year-old became a hot property in the summer transfer market. Ozil attracted the clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Arsenal.

Arsenal was reportedly interested in Ozil even before the completion of the World Cup, while Barcelona turned their sight to Ozil after failing to secure the service of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea was also reportedly in the race.

However, Real Madrid faced the toughest competition from Manchester United as United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was considering the talented midfielder as the possible replacement of the veterans like Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes.

At Real Madrid, Mesut Ozil would find his German teammate Sami Khedira, who recently joined the Spanish giants from VfB Stuttgart. Ozil was instrumental behind Germany’s progress to the semi final at this Summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

Mesut Ozil’s contract with Werder Bremen would have been expired at the end of this season and become a free agent. So, Bremen, though initially reluctant, became ready to accept offers for Ozil after failing to convince him to stay for an extended period by signing a new contract.

Five Reasons Mesut Ozil Should Consider an Arsenal Move

German youngster Mesut Ozil was one of the biggest stars of FIFA World Cup 2010. The 21-year-old Werder Bremen midfielder was instrumental behind Germany’s third place finish in the tournament in South Africa. With 1 goal and 3 assists, Ozil was one of the nominees for the Golden Ball awards.

So, it is natural that a number of top European clubs including Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona showed their interest in the attacking midfielder who has exceptional vision, positional sense and the ability to produce precise passes.

However, Ozil has now reportedly decided to stay at Werder Bremen where his contract would expire in June 2011. So, there is a possibility Ozil could consider a move to Premier League or La Liga in winter transfer window. Given his recent form and the kind of talent he possesses, there would not be any lack of suitors for the creative midfielder.

Reports out in the media suggest that Arsenal manager Arsene Wegner was ready to spend a club-record £20 million for Mesut Ozil. It is understood that he would try to secure the player’s service in the winter too. There are at least five reasons Mesut Ozil should also consider a move to Arsenal.

First of all, Mesut Ozil is still 21 and yet to flourish his full potential. Arsenal is well-known for bringing the best out of the potential and talented players. Mentor Wenger and his assistants have already showed it with Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas. So, there is every possibility Ozil could be the next legend at Arsenal.

Secondly, playing for Arsenal would not take heavy toll on Ozil physically. Wenger largely uses his young and fringe players in the tournaments like FA Cup and League Cup. So, Arsenal’s regular premier league players do not have that much strain on their body.

Thirdly, Mesut Ozil has a very good chance of becoming a part of highly successful Arsenal team. Arsenal’s debt is gradually decreasing and there is a possibility Arsenal could be debt free in the next two or three years. Once the debt goes away, Arsenal would have very strong financial ability to bring in quality players by spending considerable amount in the transfer market. By then, the average age of the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri, and Jack Wilshere would be increased and they could start showing their talent and skill. So, Arsenal could become a dominating force both in Premier League as well as in Europe.

Fourth, Arsenal is one of the top four clubs in English Premier League which is also one of the top football leagues in the Europe. So, playing for Arsenal means Ozil would get more attention in the English media in what would increase his possibility of getting more and more sponsorship deals.

Finally, it is pretty much understandable that Cesc Fabregas would leave the North London club sooner or later. That means, Ozil would have enough opportunity in the Arsenal first eleven. Even if Fabregas does not leave, Ozil would not have to worry about his place in the starting line up of Arsenal. Ozil along with Fabregas could form a lethal midfield combination for the Gunners.