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Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe has named former Gunners midfielder Mesut Ozil as the best player he has ever played with. The Englishman's rise at the Emirates Stadium coincided with the former Real Madrid star's downfall.
Despite sharing little time together on the pitch, Smith Rowe has paid tribute to his former teammate's undoubted quality.
Mesut Ozil joined Arsenal in 2013 for a fee of £42.5 million on the back of three incredible seasons with Real Madrid. The midfielder scored 29 goals and provided 80 assists in 159 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos.
The German enjoyed an impressive start to life at the Emirates Stadium and went on to form an impressive partnership with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud.
Ozil's creativity and ability to produce magical moments made him a fan favorite at Arsenal. However, he received heavy criticism for his lack of work rate and inability to make an impact in games against the top teams. The midfielder fell out of favor with Mikel Arteta after the Spaniard took over the reins at the club in December of 2019.
Arteta preferred to play the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe ahead of Ozil and eventually froze the German out of his squad at the start of the 2020-21 campaign. The midfielder joined Greek side Fenerbache in January of 2021 after terminating his contract with Arsenal.
Despite a disappointing end to his time with the club, Smith Rowe believes he was the best player he ever played with and told GOAL:
"Everyone knows how good he [Ozil] is, so I'd have to say him."
Ozil showed signs of returning to his best last season, scoring eight goals in 22 Super Lig games for Fenerbache. He joined Istanbul Basaksehir as a free agent after the termination of his contract this summer.
Martin Odegaard is proving to be the ideal replacement for Mesut Ozil at Arsenal
Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard was signed on loan from Real Madrid in January of 2021 to replace Ozil. The Norwegian endured an underwhelming loan spell with the Gunners as he scored just two goals in 20 appearances in all competitions for the club.
However, the club were convinced that Odegaard would be able to develop and produce the goods on a regular basis and opted to sign him permanently for €35 million in the summer of 2021.
The attacking midfielder repaid the north London club's faith by being one of their standout players last season. He scored seven goals and provided five assists in 40 appearances in all competitions in the 2021-22 campaign.
Odegaard was handed the captain's armband at the start of the 2022-23 campaign. He has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, scoring two goals in three league games.
The Gunners will next be in action in Premier League against Fulham at home on Saturday (August 27).
