Dennis Bergkamp believes that Mesut Ozil was only the ‘fourth or fifth big name’ at Real Madrid and that he deserved more than that.
The German was controversially sold on the final day of the summer transfer window and has since impressed at Bergkamp’s former club Arsenal.
For the retired forward, the status that the German has at the Emirates perhaps explains his willingness to have left Los Blancos.
“We played a few times against him with Ajax, so I got to see him close-up,” mused Bergkamp, who is currently an assistant Coach with the Amsterdam outfit, to The Telegraph today.
“At Madrid the problem was there were all those big names so he was more or less the fourth or fifth big name in that team.
“He deserved more. He deserved a free role on the pitch offensively. He is a creator.
“Ozil knows exactly how to control the ball in what kind of space to give himself time. That’s the difference between the players and great players.
“With his intelligence and his touch and his skills, he is trying to do something right with every ball.
“With all the respect to the other Arsenal players, I think he is the one who can make a difference. The other players are good in midfield.
“But you need someone of a high-level you can be good in all areas of the pitch.”
Bergkamp was asked of the early comparisons Ozil is gaining with himself.
“I don’t like comparing. We’re all unique. But I do understand the similarities people see and I believe he can be very important to the team.
“It is still early days. He is a tremendous player with a lot of effective skills like controlling the ball, making creative passes and assists, taking the right position in the field every time. And he’s extremely experienced.
“Putting all that together I think you’ve got a player who can be the missing link in the Arsenal team, a player who will make a striker score goals, who will link up in Arsenal’s position-game and who will score goals as well.”
