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Mesut Ozil has identified Emile Smith Rowe as his long-term successor as his time at Arsenal comes to an end.
The Gunners bounced back from their terrible start to record three consecutive Premier League wins – their best run this season.
It all started with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, followed by wins over Brighton and West Brom.
They are now six points out of the Premier League’s top four and much of their turnaround has been attributed to the form of Arsenal youngsters Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka.
The former was deployed in the No.10 role, a post left vacant throughout the season by Mikel Arteta.
Ozil has been Arsenal’s main man of creativity over the years, but has not been included in Arsenal’s squads for the Premier League and Europa League.
His contract expiring at the end of the season, his stay in the Emirates should come to an end.
But after Smith Rowe’s performance against West Brom, the World Cup winner named the 20-year-old as his replacement.
After the 4-0 win at the Hawthorns, Ozil tweeted: “Great game my boys! Great spirit – 3 straight wins. The team looks good with a No 10 like Emile Smith Rowe – the difference maker.”
Smith Rowe was one of the best players on the pitch against Sam Allardyce’s men, registering an assist for his fellow academy Saka graduate.
The Croydon-born starlet made his first Premier League appearance against Chelsea this season, where he also scored a goal en route to a 3-1 victory.
And Arteta was impressed with the youngster, admitting he’s thrilled to have discovered a player of his quality in a position he badly needed.
“He’s a player that I’ve really loved since the first day I watched him,” he said.
“It’s just his way of moving, his intelligence in the positions he takes and his pace of work, don’t underestimate that because he works very hard for the team.
“He had a really bad shoulder injury this year, he hasn’t really trained with us.
“The last two weeks he’s been a lot more involved and you can see what he brings to the team.
“I am delighted to have a young player with his talent in this position because it is something that we need.
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