Mesut Ozil proved to be one of the most divisive players in Arsenal’s recent history.
When he first signed from Real Madrid in 2013, Mesut Ozil was greeted with extraordinary excitement at Arsenal — Arsene Wenger had wooed one of the most creative players in the world to north London.
However, things turned quite sour, quite quickly among some Arsenal fans, who could never get on board with Ozil.
Despite his brilliance with the ball, supporters found it difficult to accept that Ozil appeared to be treated like a ‘luxury’ player at times.
He didn’t always appear to be running as much as his teammates off the ball and he didn’t play up to the cameras either — he was authentically himself.
Mikel Arteta called Ozil ‘unbelievable’ at Arsenal, and whilst he was exactly that, he wasn’t every fan’s cup of tea.
Leroy Sane might suffer Mesut Ozil’s problems at Arsenal
That being said, Arsenal are interested in a move for Leroy Sane this summer and they might be about to embark on another Ozil story.
Reports over the last 24 hours or so would suggest that Arsenal might offer a contract to Leroy Sane who is currently set to leave Bayern Munich once his deal expires next month.
However, there should be one or two red flags from an Arsenal perspective, even if Sane is an immensely talented player.
It was clear during the 29-year-old’s time at Manchester City that he was a player capable of deciding games at the highest level, and he still is to a degree.
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
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But Arsenal should take heed of Bayern manager Vincent Kompany’s comments earlier in the season when he was forced to defend Sane’s body language, which many were criticising.
After defeat to VFL Bochum in March, Sane did not appear happy when being subbed off, something the cameras picked up on.
As a result, Kompany saw it necessary to defend Sane at his press conference — the kind of situation Arsenal don’t need after moving on from players like Ozil and Granit Xhaka.
Kompany said: “I’ve known Leroy for a long time. It only looks like this, but it’s fine honestly.
“If you go back and see his games as a youth player you’ll probably find the same images.
“But the next day or same evening he’s laughing and part of the team. The thing I can tell you is that he’s absolutely fine.”
Mikel Arteta needs to avoid a deal for Leroy Sane
Of course, it’s also pertinent to consider both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko when realising that Arsenal might buy another Man City player, albeit via Bayern this time around.
A lot of Arsenal fans might leap to say that Mikel Arteta should have learnt his lesson when it comes to recruiting from his old stable.
However, both Jesus and Zinchenko were excellent signings for Arsenal at the time — the duo might be free to leave now, but they were still integral to progress made under Arteta.
There are several reasons why Arsenal should avoid a deal for Sane, but citing Jesus or Zinchenko is not necessary.
Andrea Berta should avoid a deal for Sane owing to his injury history and perhaps even his age — the Gunners need ‘win now’ players but it’s undeniable that the likes of Nico Williams would be a better signing.
Arsenal have held talks with Williams, and whilst he would obviously demand a big transfer fee, something Sane wouldn’t, his arrival would set the Gunners up for the next decade, not the next 12 months.