Has there ever been a Premier League star splitting opinion more than Mesut Ozil?

Ozil is a traditional ‘number 10’ in an era where elite clubs want multi-functional strikers and midfielders.

Look around Europe and the regular Champions League and Premier League contenders favour 4-3-3; Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid. So do the re-emerging forces of Liverpool and Chelsea. Managers who do have a ‘10’ like Spurs have players who redefine the role. The top coaches want wide strikers who cut inside. They want playmaking midfielders who can play between the lines as well as perform their defensive duties.

Those who would once have occupied the position of an Eric Cantona or Dennis Bergkamp – players such as David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne - have evolved into more rounded midfielders whose starting position is deeper. They don’t occupy a small space behind the front man, linking midfield and attack, but have a heat map taking them all over the pitch. They press high and they track back.

We still have our old-fashioned front men – the ‘number nine’ – like Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku, but managers want more than one dimension in their attackers.