Football365’s early winner: Mesut Ozil

Now that’s what we call timing. At the end of a week in which he was described as ‘expendable’ by the Daily Telegraph, clearly briefed by somebody inside Arsenal that keeping the German was not their priority, he scored a sumptuous header to register back-to-back Premier League goals for the first time in almost two years. Expendable? Try phenomenal.

After his hat-trick against West Ham, it is tempting to see Alexis Sanchez as the one Arsenal player who ‘deserves’ the astronomical wages being paid to Paul Pogba, but this is a partnership based on equality. They are seeking pay parity not just with the world’s most expensive player but with each other…because they are equally talented and equally vital to the Gunners’ title challenge. It might be easier for the casual observer to appreciate Sanchez’s constant movement than Ozil’s insouciant style, but it’s the contrast that works.

Against Stoke, we saw how the defence was so transfixed by Sanchez that, when he fell, Ozil ran through unchallenged to meet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s lovely lofted ball. The mobility of Sanchez has enabled Ozil to go beyond him and be a goal threat all season, and Sanchez equally appreciates the intelligence of the German. Poetry meets motion.

The positives were plenty from Arsenal’s victory over Stoke – yet more points from a losing position, a goal and assist from each of Arsenal’s four-man attack as well as substitute Alex Iwobi, the return to form and fitness of Hector Bellerin, the willingness of Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka to go toe to toe (and elbow to face) with Stoke, but none should please Gunners’ fans more than Ozil once again producing a moment of match-winning skill. It further strengthens his hand and they can only hope that Arsenal are not forced to choose between Daddy or chips.

According to this MailOnline list, Ozil is currently the 12th-best-paid player in the Premier League and earns only slightly more than Bastian Schweinsteiger; it’s easy to see why the World Cup winner and his representatives look at those numbers and think something is awry. Ozil is exactly the kind of player that the ridiculous resources of the Premier League should keep in England; if broadcasters are going to pay £11m per game, we want at least some of those games to feature Mesut Ozil.

Sarah Winterburn