In what could be seen as a surprising comparison, one pundit has suggested that if Arsenal want to get the best out of Mesut Ozil, they need to sign a player with a Michael Jordan type character to play alongside him.
The midfielder has often been accused of not pulling his weight, and that’s something that clearly doesn’t sit well with Tony Cascarino.
“You have to be real on this, because when you pay someone a huge indifferent salary compared to everyone else at a football club, he has to make the difference on the field,” he said on talkSPORT.
“So that’s going to come with criticism, as much as you might think it’s unfair and some people think it’s bullying, it carries a price.
“When you watch The Last Dance and you see how Michael Jordan got more out of a player, you sort of think you wish Arsenal had that type of player to get more out of Mesut Ozil.
“Not just the manager, but a player sitting next to him in the dressing room who might be thinking you’re not doing enough.
“You’re lacking one ingredient, because it just feels as though he cruises through games. There’s got to be more from him. No-one is questioning his ability, but it feels like it’s just enough all the time as far as he’s concerned.”
Earning the most money out of the entire squad is always going to be a thorny issue if Ozil isn’t giving 110 percent effort every single week, though it’s a stretch to believe that he would respond to such character traits at this stage of his career.
The former Real Madrid man has always had the silky skills to win games, and arguably that’s why Arsenal would have bought him in the first place.
He’s never been the type of player to track back and put in a real shift because his benefit to the team lies in the way he can prise open defences and provide assists for his team-mates.
At 31 years of age, he’s hardly likely to change now, with Michael Jordan or anyone else alongside him.