Szczesny: I didn't think Arsenal could get better than Fabregas - but 'genius' Ozil proved me wrong

Special talent: Szczesny has hailed Ozil's ability
PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images
Sam Long6 February 2016

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes Mesut Ozil has surpassed Cesc Fabregas in the Gunners' number 10 role.

The Spanish midfielder was previously the linchpin in Arsene Wenger's midfield and made a total of 303 appearances for the club during an eight-year spell in north London.

But when Fabregas joined boyhood club Barcelona in 2011 Arsenal were forced to begin the search for a new player to build their midfield around.

Szczesny, who is on loan at Serie A side Roma, initially doubted whether Arsenal would be able to source a replacement who could match up to Fabregas.

However, the shot-stopper is now adamant Ozil, who joined the Gunners from Real Madrid for a club record fee in August 2013, has eclipse his predecessor.

"Previously, Cesc Fabregas was with us and I could not imagine that you could play better in the middle, but Ozil came and it turns out that you can," he told the Polish national team’s YouTube channel.

"When you have great technique, everything on the pitch feels slower and therefore you can react faster.

"You do not have time to worry about what is happening with the ball. Just take it, run, head up and assess the situation. It is true that he is something of a genius."

Ozil faced a flurry of criticism during the early stages of his career in England but has now proven the majority of his doubters wrong courtesy of a sensational tally of 16 assists this season.

Although the German playmaker was not recognised for his contribution instantly on these shores Szczesny was in no doubt about the midfielder's talent as soon as he trained alongside him.

Arsenal vs Southampton - player ratings

1/13

"In the beginning he was heavily criticised because Arsenal bought him for big money and he was expected to become the biggest star of the league.

"In training from the beginning it was evident that he was an exceptional player."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in