Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes the club needs 'a young Jermain Defoe' to make the most of Mesut Ozil's creative talent.
Ozil has been Europe’s most consistent playmaker this season creating 119 chances for team-mates. But despite all the opportunities the Gunners' top scorer Oliver Giroud has just 12 league goals to his name.
The club’s other recognised strikers, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck have scored only eight league goals between them.
In contrast Sunderland’s 33-year-old striker Jermain Defoe, who made his name at London rivals Tottenham, has scored 12 goals for the relegation threatened Black Cats this season.
“[Ozil] knows the striker is making a run and that type of player is how Dennis Bergkamp was, you make the run and the ball will appear,” Wright told Squawka.
“When you look at his stats if they did have Harry Kane or Anthony Martial or even Marcus Rashford you look at the way he moves,” he added. “If they had someone like that, more clinical, someone who would get on the end of things, someone like a young Jermain Defoe, with Ozil you’re talking 30 goals a season.”
Read More
Despite the lack of goals, Wright believes his team still have a slender chance of winning the league even though they trail leaders Leicester by 11 points.
“They can win it but Leicester and Spurs are favourites,” he added, “because Arsenal have to win all their remaining games and Leicester and Spurs have to lose three or four, so it’s not looking good for Arsenal at the moment and it might take a bit of pressure off them and that’s what they do at this stage, when it seems like nothing’s happening this is when they find form.
“They were brilliant against Watford and brilliant against Everton but the test comes against West Ham. We’ll see what Leicester and Spurs do because they’ve got to win all their games and if they do slip up you want Arsenal, who have missed a few chances, to be able to pick up the baton.”