With a new season comes new opportunities and a fresh start for Mesut Ozil, the eternal drifter who may just have rediscovered his sense of purpose at Arsenal. These are the earliest of early days in the club’s preparations for the new campaign, of course, but Arsenal’s tour of the United States has so far provided a sense of simmering optimism over their most mercurial talent.

A bleached hairdo only adds to the feeling of change surrounding the German, even if the look was the result of a lost bet in a “crossbar challenge” with Alexandre Lacazette, Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac rather than any personal epiphany. Ozil produced a mesmerising individual performance against Bayern Munich earlier this week, too, looking sharp and creative in his favoured central position.

“I am really happy,” he says in a rare engagement with the British media which only adds to the feeling that this has been a transformative summer for the 30-year-old, who married in June. “I am fit. We showed, especially against Bayern Munich, that we look very fresh.”

It is certainly a far more tranquil time for Ozil than last year’s pre-season, which came at the height of his controversial retirement from the German national team. Emotions were running high and energy levels were running low after a disastrous World Cup, and Ozil’s start to life under Unai Emery was interrupted by injuries, poor form and doubts over whether he would ever adapt to the club’s new high-intensity style.