ARSENAL outcast Mesut Ozil piled praise on Emile Smith Rowe as he claimed the ‘team looks good with a No10.’
The Gunners stormed to a 4-0 win at the Hawthorns on Saturday evening with Smith Rowe starting just behind the striker.
Emile Smith Rowe pulled the strings in midfield for Arsenal in their 4-0 win over West Brom, with Mesut Ozil impressedCredit: AFP
Mikel Arteta has experimented with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Dani Ceballos in the No10 slot this season.
But neither have been able to replicate the sort of creative ability Ozil brought early in his Arsenal career.
Smith Rowe, a natural No10, was given the nod for Saturday’s clash in the Midlands, with Arsenal crying out for a creative spark.
Ahead of the game, the Gunners had managed just 16 goals in 16 games, languishing in 13th in the Premier League.
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But a quickfire first-half one-two punch from Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka put the Londoners in charge, before a four-minute double from Lacazette sealed the big win.
English youngster Smith Rowe pulled the strings in midfield throughout before he was replaced by Joe Willock with 15 minutes to play.
And Ozil, somewhat tongue-in-cheek having been cut from the Premier League and Europa League squads, was full of praise for Smith Rowe – and Arteta for playing a natural No10.
Ozil tweeted: “Nice game my boys! Great spirit – 3 wins in a row.
“Team looks good with a No10 like Emile Smith Rowe – the difference maker.”
Mesut Ozil claimed Arsenal looked good with a No10 in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek tweetCredit: PA:Press Association
Meanwhile, Arteta has vowed Arsenal will not terminate Ozil’s £350,000-a-week contract and will wait until this month’s transfer window closes before deciding on a recall.
The German World Cup winner, 32, has not played a second for the Gunners this term after being axed from the squads.
Arteta said: “We will see what happens in the transfer window and we will assess at the end of that.
“You have to respect the players’ contracts.
“You can just try to be open with them, tell them your intentions, the role that they have in the team and why that is.”
Arteta says tonight’s performance against West Brom was close to what he wants to see
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
