Mesut Ozil to Arsenal: Gunners Reportedly Agree to Sign Real Madrid Star

In a last-minute move before the end of the transfer period, Arsenal have acquired Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid.

BBC Sport first confirmed that Arsenal and Real Madrid agreed on a deal for the 24-year-old player:

Arsenal agree a 50m euros (£42.4m) fee with Real Madrid to sign Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil #afc

Telegraph Sport confirmed BBC Sport's report regarding the Ozil agreement:


Arsenal have agreed a club transfer fee of £42 million for Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil.

Ozil has been a key contributor for Real Madrid since coming over from Werder Bremen during the 2010-11 season. He is known as one of the most creative midfielders in Europe, totaling an impressive 47 assists in La Liga over the past three years.

Jonathan Fadugba of FourFourTwo has been impressed by Ozil's ability to distribute on the pitch:

Mesut Ozil has 71 assists in 158 games for Real Madrid. Holy.

Of course, he can also score himself and matched a career-high with nine league goals last season.

Besides excelling for his club, Ozil is also a major contributor for the German national team and has five goals and 10 assists in eight World Cup qualifying matches.

The problem is that the young player started to lose his place on the first team with Real Madrid. After starting 30 matches two years ago, he only made 23 starts last year and was used as a sub nine times.

In the early going of this season, Ozil has seen himself be taken out of two matches and go unused in a third. After being subbed out in the second half of the club's win over Granada, he stormed off the pitch and down the tunnel, according to Elliot Bretland of the Daily Mail.

According to Darren Lewis of Mirror Football, Ozil claimed the next day in a press conference that he was "staying at Real Madrid."

Of course, this situation changed dramatically when Real Madrid added Gareth Bale on a world-record transfer from Tottenham:


This move made Ozil expendable, as there was even less playing time available for the young player. Fortunately, this transfer will allow him to finally get regular starts with his new team.

The German midfielder is still only 24 years old and has a chance to be one of the best in the world at his position. Arsenal will hope that he can continue to be successful in his new location.