Andre Schurrle Backs Arsenal's Mesut Ozil to Come Good Next Season

Chelsea forward Andre Schurrle has backed Mesut Ozil to come good next season after what has been a quiet debut for the midfielder at the Emirates.

The Germany international transferred from Real Madrid for a record £42.5m fee but failed to live up to expectations as he struggled to bring himself up to pace with the Premier League and was found wanting at times. His penalty miss against Bayern Munich in the first leg at the Emirates killed the game for Arsenal as they failed to recover from that setback and lost the game 2-0 and the tie 3-1.

However, his arrival was a sign of intent from the Arsenal management with the Gunners storming the league in the first part of the season, staying top for 128 days, more than any team in the top four. However, Arsene Wenger's failure to add a pacy striker followed by injuries to Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott scuppered that run, as Ozil failed to have an impact and was out injured with a hamstring strain for more than a month.

The midfielder came back in time for Arsenal's FA Cup win over Hull City, bringing the Gunners their first major trophy since 2005. Schurrle, who is currently with Ozil in the national squad, believes that the 25-year-old will show his true potential next season.

"When he came back from his injury, he played very good. He got assists, he got a goal. I'm sure he will be very good next season. But I hope not too good because I'm a Chelsea player and I don't want Arsenal to be very good!" Schurrle told talkSPORT.

The midfielder also received backing from compatriot and Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm, who attributed Ozil's failure to Wenger's inability to land a proper striker in the summer.

"Anybody who has played with Mesut will tell you how intelligent he is as a player. His vision is probably the best I have ever seen and that is why it is so important to have the right striker ahead of him," Lahm told Goal.com.

"He is a dream for strikers and you saw that with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Karim] Benzema when he was at Madrid. If Arsenal can find the right striker who is fast and makes intelligent runs - then Mesut will be devastating next season," he added.