Manchester United’s pursuit of Arsenal star makes perfect sense
Mesut Ozil could galvanize the Manchester United attack
Arsenal certainly don’t want to sell Mesut Ozil to Manchester United, but it’s easy to see why Jose Mourinho would pursue such a transaction. The talented German midfielder could be the perfect summer addition for Mourinho’s disjointed attack.
Reports from England claim that Mourinho is desperate to reunite with Ozil this summer. The two worked together at Real Madrid previously in what was generally a productive relationship. It wasn’t a partnership devoid of conflict, but then again, Mourinho doesn’t really have those sort of relationships.
With all due respect to an aging Wayne Rooney and inconsistent Juan Mata, neither is the ideal number ten for Mourinho’s system. United’s current squad is loaded with players who can find ways to put the ball into the back of the net. What it lacks is a midfield maestro who can really pull the strings for those talented attackers.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has managed 16 goals this season despite insufficient service from the midfield. Just imagine how devastating he could be with Ozil feeding him the ball. It’s not out of the question that Ozil could turn Zlatan into a 25 goal scorer provided they both stayed healthy.
His arrival in the squad could also do wonders for the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. Both men clearly have loads of talent. Unfortunately, they’ve struggled to show it for the majority of the 2016-17 campaign. A large portion of their struggles can be attributed to the lack of creative flair in their club’s midfield.
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Skeptical United fans may point to Ozil’s propensity to disappear in big matches for the Gunners as a reason that the Red Devils shouldn’t make the move. Admittedly, that is a fair concern. United fans would need to count on Mourinho’s managerial ability to get consistent play out of the German international.
The Special One certainly has a different way of managing talent than current Gunners boss Arsene Wenger. His confrontational style would either coax world-class play out of Ozil on a regular basis or send him into an absolute tailspin. There would be zero options in between.
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Arsenal will do their best to keep Mesut Ozil this summer, but the player and Manchester United would benefit from seeing him move to Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho is simply a better manager for Ozil than Arsene Wenger.