Mesut Ozil has made the six-man shortlist for the PFA Footballer of the Year award for 2015/16.
The German international has enjoyed his best season at Arsenal since signing from Real Madrid for £42 million in September 2013 racking up 18 assists and six goals in the Premier League.
Despite being the favourite for the award earlier in the season, the 26-year-old faces stiff competition to take the title. Leicester trio Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante also make the shortlist alongside West Ham’s Dimitri Payet and Arsenal reject Harry Kane.
After easing himself into life at the Emirates the German demonstrated some of the best form of his career in the build-up to Christmas, notching assist after assist to put him within two of Thierry Henry’s all-time record.
It’s a run of form that Arsene Wenger predicted…it’s just taken him a year longer than expected to deliver.
Speaking in April 2014, the boss said: “Before he got injured, he had a period where he was a bit jaded. But he is a fantastic player and I would put him on the list to be player of the season next season.”
“The first season is the season in which you adapt and then you know what will happen and you go into it. I believe he will know better his partners, he will know better the league and the potential is absolutely fantastic. The improvement will be in goals, assists and his presence in the game.”
Few can argue he hasn’t delivered on the latter, as this awesome video demonstrates.
Good for him, deserves it.
A Leicester player looking pretty strong to win POTY if they win the title though.
Although they could well split the vote. I can see you-know-who from you-know-where up the road winning it.
Sr*rs currently have the best defence (lowest goals conceded) and best attack (highest goals scored) so very funny (ha ha) they didn’t get more nominees.
If Leicester win the title they will get 1-2-3 on the POTY I reckon. Top two minimum.
I’m shocked and surprised that Falcao did not make the list!!
Well done Mesut. Let’s call this one basically a trophy
The least he deserves, he has been incredible for us, and he certainly the player to watch when you go to a football game.
If only he had something other than donkeys to work with up front we’d have been running away with the title.
Ive never understood why they make players vote with so many games left to go.
Hopefully he’ll get some more assists under his belt and break Henrys record. Not really much else to play for other than that. Best season in our shirt by far, if only we had someone that would finish more of his chances.
There’s plenty to play for. Not as much as we’d hoped for, granted, but I’d still dearly love to finish above that lot.
What was that about nicking a living?
I think that only applies to Walcott now
When he had some troubling times last season many on this site agreed that ‘form is temporary but class is permanent’ It proved to be correct.
I’d like him to win it or even come second so that Neil Ashton could feel like a twat that he is.
he should be on about 30 assists with a decent level of finishing… maybe next year !
If we’d have finished the chances he created in the 2nd half of the season at the same rate we finished them in the first half of the season, he’d have won this in a runaway and we’d be on top of the league.
If we finished his chances created at the same rate the Leicester players finish their chances, we’d be flirting with 100 points.
But alas, it’s not to be. Will go to Mahrez and it will he well deserved.
If we dove like we’d been shot, we would be top of the league too.
I can feel his pain and frustration. No matter what he says, I’m sure he didn’t sign up for this kind of performance and leadership when he joined Arsenal. Good for him to have his performance recognised in the midst of all this mess.
Anyone believe we’re still in the title race? If spurs and Leicester lose this weekend I think we’re back in the race. As you can see I am optimistic. Crazier things have happened
Such as…?
Well, Leicester being 7 points clear with 6 games to go…
That’s crazy, but not crazier than us overhauling them from 13 points behind.
It’s pleasing he’s started delivering consistently excellent performances, because let’s face it, we’ve been waiting for a while. Still overall disappointed with his contribution to the club since joining given his transfer fee, so hopefully he can keep up this level.
Wouldn’t be too sorry to see Kante/Payet/Mahrez winning it.
Better them than that guy playing for that lot or the racist that’s Jamie Vardy.
Forgive my ignorance but in what way is Vardy a rasist?
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/6581386/England-ace-Jamie-Vardy-in-racism-storm.html
Ok thank’s and thank you all for getting a “thumbs down” for a fucking questions.
We all make mistakes so it would be more pertinent to comment on Vardys footballing ability which is fantastic.
Thoughbits nowhere near as bad as racism weve had 2 players smoking on several occasions including one numpty who A: Smoked in a shower where water can extinguish the cig and B:didnt have the decorum or common sense to at least wait till he got home.
So yeah i think vardy mahrez payet and ozil are up there
Already thought your nickname was somewhat inapropriate on this forum. Arsenal was in direct competition with Leicester until 3 or 4 weeks ago. To boot, you are now condoning Vardy’s racism. You have freedom of speech, man but I found it weird.
When you consider how much publicity Suarez and Terry got it’s astounding that no one remembers this of Vardy.
Also yes we all make mistakes etc but it’d be nice if he used his mistake as a platform to speak out against it and show that he’s really changed and it was a one off.
Can’t help but wonder what he thinks every time Okazaki looks at him
I think that’s a valid point about Vardy, he should’ve spoken out about it more.
I couldnt think of a better name and it was a play on the fact that Jamie might’ve got more hype if he had a ‘foreign’ name. As to us being in competition with Leicester not sure how that relates to my username unless there is some extreme sensitivity on this blog. All of my posts have been pertinent to Arsenal and not in a trolling manner, because, surprise surprise, I’m an Arsenal fan! Fair play to Leicester they’ve done very well for themselves, and all teams in the PL have decisions go against them and decisions go for them.… Read more »
Quite agree about Vardy. Really dislike him. I think Payet deserves it because he’s been brilliant in an otherwise unexceptional team.
Remind me if I’m wrong, but POTY voting end in like January?
Only 1 of the 6 players who is also playing in champions league games with the pressure of playing for the club that needs to win silverware.
Not happening for him this year. Will definitely go to one of the Leicester players.
I fucking love Ozil and I don’t give a fishes tit (sorry Miranda) about anyone who says different!
Fishes don’t have tits, that’s the whole point of that saying! I use it myself, learnt it from my gran.
Let’s not start this again….;-)
Watching West Ham against MU. You can’t help feeling for Ozil as he is in a different class from those clod hoppers who nearly beat us on Saturday. I love Wenger but he just lacks the ruthlessness to achieve now.
There still a lot of negativity towards him amongst the pundits which I cannot understand. Still too much of the type of Neanderthal attitude around that undermined the likes of Waddle,Hoddle, Le Tissier. These are the types of players you want to see each weekend.
Woddle, Hoddle and Le Tissier sounds like Lock, Stock & Barrel.
People are too excited about Payet… He makes a great season but not more than Mesut and WH are still behind us and lost today… He is good but not as good as the media want us to know… He is a surprise? Then to people not knowing foot, because at 28 he has aleady shown his worth in France…
Özil seems out of place in this list. What an underwhelming season for the PL.
If Arsenal are serious about winning any major cups they need to get rid of this tactically inept manager and get Diego Simone (sp.), a young manager showing this plank how you can beat Barcelona, not lose 5-1 and still be praising your opponents. I mean if the likes of Rashford and Carrol can score freely against us who wouldn’t?
Mahrez should get it. I can’t believe some laughed when we were linked with him last summer