Much of the reason why Mesut Ozil decided to sign a new contract at Arsenal in February is to do with Arsene Wenger.

The Frenchman’s critics have raised tenfold in recent years but his relationship with Ozil is a strong one, knitted together tightly by the German’s respect for Wenger.

“It was not for nothing that at the beginning of the year in an interview for the Germany football magazine, Kicker, I emphasised what an important figure Wenger has been in my life,” Ozil wrote in his 2017 autobiography.

“He watched me for years, followed my progress, then hired and nurtured me. He is entitled to criticise me in any way he likes. He can throw anything at me if I’ve played poorly.

“Because what he says is important. Because he’s good at getting things into perspective.”

It didn’t take long for Ozil to warm to Wenger. Another fascinating passage from his autobiography, ‘Gunning For Greatness’, details what the Arsenal boss did when the midfielder played in his first away match for the Gunners in 2013.

And it’s class.

What Wenger did before Ozil's first away match

“Arsene Wenger, too, helped me acclimatise to London,” Ozil wrote. “He and his entire family made every effort to ensure that my friends and I felt comfortable in London from day one.

“When I left for my first game with my new team - an away match against Sunderland - Wenger asked his ex-wife Annie to look after my friends and family so they weren’t hanging around on their own in London.

“She invited them all to her house. Mrs Wenger cooked for them and her daughter Lea was there too.

“Our game was going on at the same time. During the match Mrs Wenger was highly emotional. She sat on the floor, watching her husband’s team play.

“When, in the eleventh minute, I set up Olivier Giroud’s goal that put us in the lead, she leapt up with a homemade cheesecake in her hand and danced around the room.”

Many feel that the game has passed Wenger by but he knows full well the importance of making sure his players feel at ease.

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