Arsene Wenger says Mesut Ozil is a “genius” who will thrive in a “warm environment” now he has left Arsenal for Turkish club Fenerbahce.
Ozil’s seven-year stay at Arsenal ended in ignominious circumstances as his former teammate and now manager Mikel Arteta froze him out of the team.
But Wenger, who brought Ozil to the Emirates in a £42m transfer in 2013, believes Ozil has the quality to reignite his career.
“Mesut is a guy who needs a warm environment and I believe he will find that more than anywhere else in Turkey," Wenger told BeINSports. “Overall, he can provide the balls that the strikers need to win football games. If they do that well, they have a good chance of winning the league.
“Mesut is like if you imagine an orchestra in music. He's a guy who plays the ball at the right time. The timing of his pass is exceptional, but the creativity of his pass is as well. In every situation he confronts, he gives the right answer and that is genius.”
Wenger believes Ozil would have been frustrated by the situation at Arsenal and will be desperate to get back out on the pitch.
“I'm sure that he's frustrated at not having played. His hunger must be absolutely [enormous] to play football again. There are two things that are very important in the quality of your performance. First of all your basic fitness, you can get your basic fitness if you work well in training and if you practice well. Personally, at the moment I don't know what kind of shape he's in. The second part is competitive fitness and that is linked with the number of games you play. On that front, he has a handicap.
“If his basic fitness in training is good, it will only take him three or four games to be at his best.”
