When Mesut Ozil arrived at the Emirates for a club-record £42million last summer, it was meant to be a watershed moment for Arsenal.

Arguments were made that the German international’s sheer presence in north London would give an enormous boost to the club, awakening the Gunners from their dormant state in the Premier League title race and signifying Arsenal’s re-emergence at the elite end of the transfer market, whilst his world-class quality, well proven in the Bundesliga, La Liga and internationally, brought the starting XI to a whole new level. It was dubbed by many, including myself, as ‘the Ozil effect’.

Fast forward just twelve months however, and the 25 year-old is verging upon boo-boy status at the Emirates. He’s rarely shown form worthy of the third-largest transfer fee in Premier League history and his anonymous performance against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday evening has particularly drawn criticism from the fans.

I don’t wish to make excuses for Ozil. He’s been at nowhere near his best since arriving in England and has never shown the leadership qualities assumed of a marquee signing; nobody expects the diminutive playmaker to be the loudest voice on the pitch,  but amongst the largest sources of frustrations surrounding him is that he’s yet to embrace significant responsibility in attack. Rather, that kind of talismanic role was adopted by Aaron Ramsey last season.

Yet, in my opinion, Arsene Wenger has played a significant role in the German international’s plight that cannot be ignored, especially from a tactical perspective.

The obvious point to make in this regard is that Ozil’s best performances for Real Madrid most commonly – but not exclusively – came at No.10, rather than the wide-right role which witnessed him burst onto the scene at the 2010 World Cup. That position saw the 25 year-old claim 47 league assists during his three campaigns at the Bernebeu, making him the most proficient creator in Europe’s top five leagues along with Lionel Messi.

He found nine assists last year, a decent return for an inaugural Premier League campaign, but featuring more frequently on the right flank than in his central berth for Arsenal, Ozil hasn’t been able to affect games in the same way.

Wenger’s decision to utilise the German out wide is continually bemusing; Ozil is more part of the midfield than a wide prong of a front three – as he was occasionally for Real – and unsurprisingly, he’s struggled to cope with the added defensive responsibilities. He also lacks the power and pace of conventional Premier League wingers, such as Alexis Sanchez on the opposite flank.

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A prevailing factor, in my opinion, is that Wenger doesn’t want to surrender Arsenal’s shape in midfield, and admittedly, compared to other Premier League players of the same role, Ozil doesn’t offer much protection at No.10, especially fronting two forward-thinking box-to-boxers in Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey.

Yet, that conundrum could have been easily resolved this summer if Wenger had addressed perhaps the most notable and fatal flaw in Arsenal’s squad; the perpetual absence of a physically intimidating, defensively-assured holding midfielder. A William Carvalho, a Lars Bender, a Sami Khedira or a Morgan Schneiderlin would offer the Gunners a more consistent, less open structure in the middle of the park, compensating for the gaps Ozil would inevitably leave behind him.

One could argue you must earn such an integral role, especially in an Arsenal side blessed with incredible quality and depth in midfield. Take Gareth Bale’s coming-of-age season at Tottenham for example, or Yaya Toure at Manchester City. Ozil’s been given more an enough opportunities to impress, albeit from out wide, and thus far simply hasn’t taken them.

But this isn’t just any No.10 we’re talking about – this is one of the best No.10s in world football, who just won a World Cup with Germany, playing as their No.10 in all seven tournament fixtures. His output, one goal and one assist, may have been largely underwhelming, considering Joachim Lowe’s side bagged 18 goals throughout, but the 25 year-old’s influence at the hub of midfield was crucial.

Upon returning to the Emirates however, he’s reduced to being a sideshow instead of the main act. I’m sure that’s not what Ozil envisaged when Wenger invested £42million in him. I’m sure that’s not what Arsenal fans envisaged when their record-signing lifted the World Cup this summer, or when Cesc Fabregas claimed Wenger refused to buy him back because his position was already filled by the German international.

For that kind of money, you’d expect a team to be built around you, rather than being asked to perform a role that infringes upon your natural strengths. The argument comes full circle yet again; Ozil’s performances are yet to justify a crucial role and the greatest players should always be able to adapt. That’s certainly become a bit of a botch on the midfielder, compared to his many counterparts  throughout the Premier League and Europe.

However, never treating Ozil like a club-record signing remains Wenger’s biggest mistake. He’s had a fantastic opportunity to create a starting Xi around one of the best in the world in his position, whom, at just 25, could conceivably remain in north London for the majority of the next decade.

Ozil will never look like a £42million player out wide; quite clearly, he doesn’t have the natural requisites, or more importantly, the heart for it. Wenger needs to reconfigure and create a role that suits the German international better, but as previously stated, the key to that remains a holding midfielder.

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