Arsenal: Five Replacements for Özil

Javier Pastore, Paris Saint-Germain

Verratti’s teammate, Javier Pastore, is likely the closest to Özil in playing style on this list.  Pastore has long been rumoured as an Arsenal target and he has struggled to have as much impact in manager Unai Emery’s new system as he has had in previous seasons in Paris.

Pastore also may see his playing time drop with the recent arrival of Julian Draxler.  Pastore is a technical playmaker and again is comfortable in the number ten role.  He is a few months younger than Özil and would no doubt be able to provide some of the same control in the attacking third as Özil does by virtue of his experience playing the role for PSG.

Next: Arsenal return for Morata

If Arsenal can purchase Pastore for about half of what they could receive for Özil, those funds could be earmarked for potential replacements for Santi Cazorla and Per BFG Mertesacker as decisions on their contracts are coming up soon.  If Arsenal needs to replace Özil, Pastore is likely the closest to replicate Özil’s skills on this list and the most likely to be available during the current transfer window.