How curious that one of Mesut Ozil's first acts as an Arsenal player, finally unveiled 10 days after his all-important signature confirmed one of the most audacious incoming transfers to the Premier League, was to defend himself. As he sat confidently beside Arsène Wenger and enthused about his bright new ambitions in London, a smear of Madrid mud was slung his way. The story was based on hearsay that was attributed to Florentino Pérez, the Real Madrid president, which cast aspersions on Ozil's levels of professionalism.

The German playmaker replied to an awkward question as if feinting past a clumsy opponent – swift and with perfect balance. "People who know me know how professional I am," he said calmly. "The past years you can see how many games I played – 159. If you're not professional in your life then I don't think you can play that many games. All the rumours, I don't care about them. I have a new task here. I'm just looking ahead. I am in London now. We have big goals here and we will work very hard to reach these goals."

Ozil is not the only player to have been shunted suddenly and a little painfully away from a career at the Bernabéu to blossom in pastures new. It could almost be a badge of honour to suffer the premature Real shove. Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder were both, like Ozil, discarded at the age of 24. Both have ably demonstrated since that it is unwise to rush to judgment. The best years can lie ahead.

Ozil definitely subscribes to that idea. As he introduced himself to his English audience he repeatedly said he had come to Arsenal to improve. A move widely perceived as a backward step after three years in Spain is one he wishes to rebrand as an opportunity. It would be easy enough for a £42.5m record signing, armed with all the experience that comes with spells in the Bundesliga and La Liga and almost 50 caps for Germany, to feel very comfortable about his talent. But Ozil was at pains to emphasise how much he intends to push himself.

The impression made by Thierry Henry and Cesc Fábregas, who found the right environment at Wenger's Arsenal to flourish into players of the highest global regard, helped to give Ozil the feeling that he can step onwards and upwards from what is already a frighteningly impressive level. "Young players develop very well here. This was one of the reasons why I chose to come," he says. "I know what successful players they have had, players like Henry, Fábregas – so I know that the step here is the right one for me because many young players came here and got to become the best players in the world."

His tutor, Wenger, is optimistic that even more strings can be added to Ozil's bow. As the Arsenal manager explains: "He is 25 in October. He's already a great player, as you say. There's room now between 25 and 30 for him to become a dominant player and to make a step up from that. There are many players who are very, very good. To make the step to being great you have to find the right club at the right moment. Having the mental dedication, that is the major difference now."

Wenger is impressed not just with Ozil's technique but with the personality that goes with it. It is a trait he loved in the likes of Henry and Fábregas – the desire to influence games, the strength of character to be the team's leader and make it tick. "He has all the attributes to be one of the leaders of our team," the manager says.

"He has the personality to express his game, which is for me the most important. He is a creative player and that's what we want. If you look well at his record his assists are fantastic, his goalscoring record there is room for improvement. You expect him in the next years to combine those two together."

Wenger's strategy is for Ozil to orchestrate from an advanced midfield position and Jack Wilshere to do the same from further back. "I don't think they conflict," Wenger says. "Jack likes to come deep to take the ball and make a difference and then give and go again. Ozil is more behind the striker, higher up on the field."

Mesut Ozil is se to make his eagerly anticipated debut for Arsenal at Sunderland on Saturday. Photograph: Matthias Schrader/AP

It was never part of Ozil's plan to bad-mouth Real Madrid – he spoke fondly of his friends and happy times there – but when he outlined his admiration for Wenger, and the way Arsenal have tried to make him feel welcomed and wanted, it is obvious he felt something was missing at Real.

"I did not get the respect and trust, it was a bit difficult," he says. "When I spoke to Arsène on the phone, he was full of respect and as a player I need that. The most important thing for me is that the manager trusts me, that I can get trust from him. This was the crucial point for me and this is why I have come here. Of course I had a very good time in Madrid. You can see by the reaction of the fans and the players that they didn't understand the move. But this is football. I will go my own way here.

"My time there was great but that topic is over. I want to look ahead. I will have wonderful years here, hopefully I will win many trophies and stay healthy. This is what I look forward to. I cannot promise to win trophies but I can promise that as a team we will give our all to win trophies."

It is surprising he has had much time to look forward to anything during a whirlwind couple of weeks. What he experienced since he last appeared for Real has been extraordinary. There are not many jobs in the world where one goes overseas for a few days and then returns to a new country, new environment and new employer.

On Monday 26 August Ozil was in the starting XI of Real's 1-0 win in Granada. A couple of days later he told the media he had no intention of leaving Madrid as the rumours started hotting up. By the weekend the move to Arsenal was, according to Wenger, "90%" completed. One week after the Granada game Ozil was in Munich with the German national team and the deal to join Arsenal was clinched. Two caps later he flew straight to London and this weekend looks set for a debut at Sunderland.

He appears to have taken it all in his stride. After only a couple of days in England he has not had time yet for househunting but, with the friendship of Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski on tap to help him adapt to his new life, he envisages no problems settling in. First impressions are that "everybody is very nice".

Ozil's head was quite easily turned by Wenger's powers of persuasion. "When Mesut first went to Real, we were in touch," the manager recalls. "Even then I wanted to get him to Arsenal but it didn't work back then. That was the start of our relationship. Now the second time it worked. I think the first contact really helped."

Madrid's loss is, to Wenger's obvious satisfaction, very much Arsenal's gain.