Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil issue and Mathieu Debuchy injury setback

This quote also encapsulates Ozil’s time at Arsenal so far. The German international, who is of Turkish heritage, arrived at the Emirates to much fanfare last summer, becoming a club-record £42.4m signing. Ozil duly dazzled with his displays, but by the end of the season it was evident that the midfield magician still had to iron out inconsistencies in his game.

Under Mourinho at Madrid, the maestro was often a match-winner, but was also frequently subbed-off before full time as his influence often appeared to fade in the latter stages.

Then, Ozil was surrounded by superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, who were more than happy to shoulder the attacking burden. However, in north London, as Ozil himself has said, the Gunners have a host of new signings to accommodate.

Whilst the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Welbeck continue to bed in at the Emirates, Ozil will be called upon to provide more stunning performances in the ilk of his Aston Villa escapades. Price tags aside, more than one world class outing every six appearances will be needed to silence those critics, particularly if Ozil continues to be deployed in his favoured role as a number 10.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger also faces a defensive dilemma following the news that right back Mathieu Debuchy could be sidelined for up to three months. Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Capital One Cup encounter with Southampton, Wenger stated: “He had surgery on Friday and will be out for three months. A reasonable delay is three months. All went well, but it can be a week or two earlier or a week or two later.”

This news is a substantial blow to the Gunners, who have already had to field fledgling defender Hector Bellerin in their 2-0 defeat to Dortmund. Debuchy will now likely be absent for Arsenal’s remaining Champions League group games, which will force Wenger to fling Barcelona-born Bellerin back into the fray.

Young Spaniard Bellerin will now be back-up for Calum Chambers, who has so far been deployed at the heat of defence for the Gunners since his £16m summer switch from Saints. This injury setback will see the England cap revert to right back, where he had previously operated for the majority of his career so far.

Wenger has insisted that his inexperienced rearguard options are up to the challenge, but reports continue to link Arsenal with moves to snap up experienced out-of-contract stars. Former Gunner Lassana Diarra and defensive duo Diego Lugano and Joseph Yobo have been mooted to come in as cover.