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SILKY TOUCH . . . Mesut Ozil (left) doubles Arsenal’s lead in the 63rd minute against Bournemouth as the Gunners claimed all three points at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night. — Mailonline

LONDON. — Arsene Wenger hailed Mesut Ozil as the best player in the English Premier League and an equal of Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp following another influential display in a 2-0 win over Bournemouth.

Wenger also hailed Ozil as his new Bergkamp after the German midfielder Ozil made one goal and scored another at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night to help Arsenal back to the top of the table, leaving pundits running out of superlatives to describe his performance.

Ozil’s statistics are astonishing even by his own high standards.

So far this season he has made 16 assists and scored five goals in the English Premier League – closing in fast on the all-time record of 20 assists set by another Arsenal great Thierry Henry.

Against Bournemouth he set another mark, too, creating nine goalscoring opportunities for team-mates – the highest figure registered in the league this season.

No wonder Gunners boss Wenger was happy to suggest his midfielder has been peerless in the league this season.

When asked if Ozil is now the best player in the English Premier League, he said simply: “Look at the number of the assists and they speak for him.”

The Frenchman also acknowledged comparison with Dutch forward Bergkamp, who was such an inspiration in Wenger’s early days in north London.

“Bergkamp was more of a goalscorer than him. But now Ozil becomes a goalscorer too. They could be comparable,” he said.

All this from a player who last season was labelled as a luxury by some onlookers, singled out by Henry as a someone who needed to “step up his game” and accused of drifting out of matches by German legend Lothar Matthaus.

Throughout it all, however, Wenger remained staunchly loyal to a player he signed from Real Madrid, insisting that Ozil would eventually become a Footballer of the Year in England.

“Ozil was the focal point of our team,” Wenger said after goals from the German and defender Gabriel, from an Ozil corner, clinched a crucial victory against Bournemouth that sent Arsenal one point clear at the top of the English Premier League before their nearest rivals Leicester City took on Manchester City late last night.

“I don’t know if it was his best performance, I have seen a few good games from him this season.

“What is important is that he convinces everyone he’s not only a fantasy player, but he’s a player who is ready to work for the team very hard.

“He’s added scoring goals to his assists as well. Overall he’s a complete player. Mesut was certainly the focal point to our team. I have not seen many of that quality. He has remarkable technical quality and I enjoy very much the timing of his passes.

“To get that always right is not easy. It is a sign of someone who hears the song in his head always at the right tone.” — AFP.