'I'm glad I don't have to face Ozil'

NEW Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is relishing the challenge of throwing himself straight into the rough and tumble of the English Premier League – starting at Sunderland tomorrow.

The German playmaker's departure from Real Madrid in a £43m deal on transfer deadline day was greeted by disbelief from his former team-mates at the Bernabeu.
However, Madrid's loss is Arsenal's gain as manager Arsene Wenger finally landed the marquee signing he desired to bolster a long overdue sustained assault on the title.
With Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky suffering a thigh injury on international duty, Ozil could be thrown straight into the starting 11 at the Stadium of Light. The German maintains he is ready to meet the challenge head on.
"I look forward to playing in this league," he said. "Of course it is very physical here, but it is a man's sport and I am really glad to play in the best league in the world."I want to prove myself in England, therefore I look forward to playing here. I also played in the Bundesliga and Spain and always proved myself. I know that I will prove myself here as well."
Ozil maintains it was the confidence of Wenger which proved vital in his decision to leave Madrid, when it became clear he no longer was central to the plans of Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti following the world-record signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham.
Reports in Spain have questioned Ozil's off-field behaviour. However, the 24-year-old defended himself and insisted he would not let any unsubstantiated speculation affect his fresh start in London.
"I don't want to say anything bad about Madrid because I had three wonderful years there. I have great friends there. We achieved a lot with the club and (won) trophies. That is why I don't want to talk a lot about it," Ozil said as he was unveiled to the press at Arsenal's Hertfordshire training base yesterday.
"People who know me know how professional I am and I think [in] the past years, you can see how many games I played – 159 games.
"If you are not professional in your life, then I don't think you can play that many games."