Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has defended team-mate Mesut Ozil from criticism in their native Germany.
Though the midfielder has drawn excited comments from manager Arsene Wenger for his improvements, Ozil has struggled to justify his £42.5 million price tag since moving from Real Madrid in 2013.
But Mertesacker feels that the media in England have judged him unfairly, while fans back home may not have watched enough to appreciate how well his colleague is doing.
"In Germany there are often only small parts of our games aired on TV or the opinions of English journalists are simply accepted," he told
transfermarkt.de of Ozil.
The centre-back has high hopes for the new campaign, having benefited from a longer rest with no major competition over the summer.
"For the first time in a long time, I had real holidays ahead of a season," he enthused. "That is great and increases the eagerness to start. The atmosphere is good."
Another German Gunner, Lukas Podolski, said goodbye to the club earlier this summer as he sealed a permanent transfer to Galatasaray, leaving Mertesacker a little disappointed.
"It is a shame to lose Lukas as a team-mate," the veteran continued. "His left foot is a weapon which I did not see with many players.
"On his day, he can still make the difference. I wish him good luck in Turkey."
source: goal
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