...as Wenger backs Ozil

The midfielder had a mixed first season in England after his club-record £42.5million move from Real Madrid and, after winning the World Cup with Germany, has started this one slowly. There were loud groans at the Emirates on Wednesday in a tense Champions League game against Besiktas every time Ozil lost the ball. His reluctance to chase back was

also acutely obvious. But Wenger, who takes his side to Leicester tomorrow, wants fans to appreciate Ozil’s talents.

“People are very harsh with Ozil because he’s a player who’s always very easy on his play,” he said. “He will never be a tackler, but when you watch the game again the next day, you see what a player he is.

“Everything he does is intelligent. The timing of everything is absolutely perfect. The number of players you catch giving the ball too late is unbelievable. You never get that with Ozil.

“He’s not getting enough praise. He came back as a World Cup winner. He played all seven games and some good games. You have the same debate in Germany but he was always in the team.

“Ozil came back on August 11 and already played his second game by August 26. After three or four weeks he will be at his best again.” Wenger was also on the defensive over buying a striker before the transfer deadline.

Wenger said he plans to be active, but the urge to buy in England is allconsuming – and he proved with Nicolas Anelka in the past and Calum Chambers in the present the answer may lie in the squad he already has. He said: “Calum played centre-back because I gave him the chance to play centreback. So that balance has to be right inside the club between buying what is right to make the squad stronger but also to keep the chance to give opportunities to people who deserve it.

Wenger, who said if he buys a striker before Monday, he will also sell, refused to rule out a move for Monaco’s Radamel Falcao or PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot. He confirmed Lukas Podolski will not leave.