Mesut Ozil The dust has barely settled from the slamming-shut of the transfer-window, and already the accolades are accumulating around Mesut Özil. Although he won?t take the field as a Gunner until 14 September at the earliest, he?s already drawing favorable comparisons to club legend Dennis Bergkamp, if only in the sense of already having a reputation for being excellent before coming to the club. One bloke on twitter joked that he?s the first signing under Arsène whom we didn?t have to look up on Youtube. Adding a player of his class, achievements, and stature does more than just destroy Andrei Arshavin?s status as the club?s most expensive signing; it lays waste to the idea that Arsène won?t spend — to the tune of 42 million pounds sterling, almost three times the amount laid out on Arshavin. Of course, Özil does fit a certain Wenger-esque mould: he?s small, crafty, creative on the ball. While critics had been howling for a striker and defensive midfielder, it seems odd to sign yet another clever midfielder known for his passing. It?s true that the signing does little to address those positions, nor does it do much to address the thinness of the squad in general. However, it?s well worth considering how Özil could help Olivier Giroud score this season, repeating a pattern that the Frenchman had established at Montpellier and at Tours before that. For as much as fans may regret the failure to sign Higuain, Suarez, or another top-shelf striker, the signing of Özil might just be enough to vault Giroud towards that category (note that I say ?towards? and not ?into.? Read on). Olivier Giroud won seven out of nine aerial duels he challenged for today both game highs. ? Orbinho (@Orbinho) September 1, 2013 Consider Giroud?s skillset. According to whoscored.com, Giroud?s strength include his strength in the air, having won seven of nine aerial duels against Tottenham (both game highs, according to Orbinho). In the season, he?s won 19 of 29 aerial duels. When you combine that with Özil?s strengths — set-pieces, crosses, key-passes, according to whoscored.com — we could see a special partnership in the making. After all, all but one of Giroud?s goals for Arsenal in 2012-13 came in the penalty area. What?s more, they all came just outside the six-yard box as Giroud latched onto a cross, lob, or through-ball from a team-mate and finished from close range. While many of these goals lack the drama of a thunderous volley, those headers, flicks, and toe-pokes still found the back of the net often enough to see Giroud score 17 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions. This is clearly not enough for a squad with designs on trophies. However, as Giroud looks to settle into and define his role more clearly, he already looks like he?ll score more often while also increasing his conversion-rate, a woeful 12% during the 2012-13 campaign. Then again, how many shots did he send soaring into the cheap seats because he was pressing too hard? It will be interesting to see how that conversion-rate might change under less pressure and with more frequent crosses, lobs, and through-balls from Özil, widely considered to be among the best in the world at his position.