Mkhitaryan Out, Mesut Ozil In – Jose Mourinho’s Ideal January Transfer Options Explored

Why Jose Mourinho Should Offload Henrikh Mkhitaryan In January To Bring Mesut Ozil To Manchester United

Manchester United are reportedly interested in a swap deal to sign long-term target Mesut Ozil from Arsenal in exchange for Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

When Mkhitaryan first arrived at Old Trafford, fans were excited and happy to have an out-and-out attacking player in their ranks. Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, the likes of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal drained every ounce of attacking talent from the club but when Jose Mourinho arrived, hope was re-ignited.

The signing of the Armenian was done primarily to create a strong attacking front that could go ahead and penetrate even the toughest of oppositions. And yet, Mkhitaryan has managed to do nothing to impress so far.

His performances have been lacklustre more than anything else and that has truly cost United this time. In a season where every club is sharpening their attack, the Red Devils are nervously depending on Paul Pogba to pull the strings.

In his absence, it looks like the team does not even have an attack. Of course, one cannot blame this entirely on Mkhitaryan but he had a huge role to play and he has messed up time and again. Hence, with the January window coming up, Mourinho will be aware of the fact that reinforcements are needed.

Mourinho has been targeting the German playmaker for quite some time now and he could finally get his man – if Arsene Wenger is willing to let go. Ozil’s contract saga continues at the Emirates, with the French manager keen on renewing it but there has been no confirmation from the player yet.

It is unclear as to whether or not he will renew the contract but the Gunners could be tempted to let him leave if they get Mkhitaryan. It is not a balanced exchange by any means but, at least this way, Arsenal can look to gain something instead of nothing. Moreover, United are in dire need of finding somebody lethal enough to make the No 10 role his own.

Mourinho already has the likes of Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard but having a World Cup winning talent like Ozil could truly tip the scales in their favour. Romelu Lukaku’s goal drought happened mainly due to the fact that he did not have a creator to feed him chances but with Ozil in the mix, there will be no need to worry.

The German has proven his quality on numerous occasions this season and he could fit right into an attacking unit like United’s.