10 Game-Changing Premier League Summer Transfers
8. Mesut Özil - Real Madrid To Arsenal (2013)
Arsène Wenger has his critics at Arsenal, and a core group of fans have repeatedly called for their manager to zip up his coat and leave the Emirates for good. The "Wenger Out" faction often cited his lack of big-name signings as an argument for him to go. But in 2013, Wenger retorted to that criticism in spectacular style.
Although Arsenal had a solid 2012-13 season, for an eighth consecutive campaign they'd come up short in winning a trophy. Wenger was under pressure, and he promised fans some major transfer business in the off-season. And that summer, he duly delivered. On deadline day, Arsenal completed a stunning coup in signing talismanic play-maker Mesut Özil from Real Madrid. The £42.5 million deal made Özil the most expensive German player in history, and it was the kind of transfer that some Arsenal fans had doubted Wenger could pull off.
Özil's world-class talent and mouth-watering attacking ability helped invigorate Arsenal in his debut season at the Emirates. The pay-off was a historic one, as the Gunners ended a nine year trophy drought when they won the FA Cup final in 2014, thus silencing team "Wenger Out" forever. Well, for about a year at least.