Mesut Ozil close to joining Arsenal in £46m deal from Real Madrid

London: Arsene Wenger was last night close to shattering the Arsenal transfer record with a £46 million (Dh262 million) deal for the Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil, as he finally makes a decisive move in the summer transfer market.

Ozil has had his reservations about the switch to Arsenal and only last Wednesday he said that he would be staying at Real.

“A lot has been written about other teams but I have the coach’s confidence and I feel good,” he said. “It’s a pleasure and an honour to play for Real Madrid.”

But Arsenal appear to have persuaded him to change his mind and the prospective signing of an A-list superstar has generated tremendous excitement among their supporters, who have previously seen the pursuit of various big names fail to come off.

Ozil, the Germany international, would add to Wenger’s already exciting options in midfield. It might be argued that the manager’s need for top-quality reinforcement is greater in other areas but the chance to sign Ozil is not one to be passed up. Moreover, Wenger knows that Ozil would fit perfectly into his style of play. The prospect of him dovetailing with Santi Cazorla is mouth-watering.

Wenger is also close to a deal for the Palermo goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano. He said last Friday that, after selling Vito Mannone to Sunderland, he was short of a goalkeeper; that, in his opinion, the search for another body in the position was “not closed.” Viviano would provide cover and competition for the current No 1 Wojciech Szczesny and he would not go straight into the starting line-up.

Arsenal also intend to sign a third player before the deadline and they are considering a loan move for the Chelsea striker Demba Ba. With Lukas Podolski out for three months with a torn hamstring, they urgently need another option up front.

Earlier, Wenger insisted Arsenal’s 1-0 win over north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday proved they can thrive without any big-money signings, although he appeared to change his mind with Monday’s moves.

Wenger had endured a frustrating transfer window marred by his failure to fulfil the Arsenal board’s promise to finally splash the cash after eight years without a trophy.

The Gunners boss missed out on Luis Suarez, Gonzalo Higuain and Luiz Gustavo and was subjected to vitriolic abuse from Arsenal fans after his team’s opening-day defeat at home to Aston Villa.

“It was a convincing win overall,” Wenger said. “It was our fourth game in two weeks and I knew we could suffer a bit at the end through tiredness.

“But we showed aspects of our game, commitment, desire and defending, that people don’t expect to see from us.

“This team has lost one game since March in all competitions and you don’t do that with average spirit. I’m not against spending money but I only want to add super quality to our squad.

“Tottenham got a lot of money for Bale. They have to invest it. I can understand that. The need is different for us.”

While Wenger maintained that he was happy enough with his current squad, he later made his deadline-day move for Real Madrid trio Karim Benzema, Ozil and Angel Di Maria, while he could also return with a second offer for Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye.

“I am ready to pay what we can afford, even if the price is a bit over the mark, as long as it’s not crazy,” Wenger said. “It is a little bit a domino effect. When some deals happen then others can. It is very difficult to predict.”

One of the keys to Wenger’s confidence that Arsenal can enjoy a successful season without major improvements is his belief that Olivier Giroud is on the verge of a breakthrough campaign.

The French striker earned mixed reviews after an inconsistent first season with the Gunners, but he has made a flying start this term, scoring four times in his first five matches, including a 23rd minute winner against Spurs on Sunday.

Wenger hinted that his interest in signing another striker may also have acted as a wake-up call to the former Montpellier star.

“Maybe that woke something up in him,” Wenger said. “He had a good physical presence and was good technically. It was an excellent centre forward’s display.”

Tottenham’s first defeat of the season carried extra frustration given that the two north London rivals are likely to be fighting for a top-four finish later in the campaign.

But boss Andre Villas-Boas could have few complaints after a disjointed display from his team that suggested life without Bale will not be plain sailing.

Yet Bale’s prolonged move, confirmed an hour after full-time at the Emirates, has funded Villas-Boas’s massive rebuilding job and the former Chelsea chief has no doubts his new signings will eventually prove their worth.

“When you have this type of quality individually it can help you achieve good things,” he said.

“I agree we need to gel but it is something we have to work on. It will come from time, through matches. I’m very confident.

“Change creates expectations and raises anxiety in people. But we have to move forward, we believe this can be our season.”

With Bale gone, Villas-Boas can finally focus on his new era and he claimed deadline day would be quiet after a frantic few weeks.

“We might do a couple of loans to other clubs but I don’t think we will buy anyone,” he said.

- With inputs from AFP