Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Yaya Sanogo and Serge Gnabry have all been shortlisted for awards in this year’s football award season.

While Ozil is up for the prestigious Ballon d’Or, the young trio have all been shortlisted for the 2013 Golden Boy award.

Ozil has been included on the 23-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or, which is a prestigious FIFA award, awarded to the best player in the world. Although the winner will almost certainly be Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, just to be shortlisted for the award is an amazing honour for the German.

The Golden Boy award, which the three Arsenal youngsters have been shortlisted for celebrates the best young talents in Europe, and when you consider that past winners include Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Aguero, you can see that it is also an achievement to be nominated as one of the 40 candidates.

Ozil has been the driving force

Arsenal legend and former defender Nigel Winterburn believes that Mesut Ozil’s arrival at the club has been the key driving force for the club’s rise to the top of the league table.

Winterburn commented:

‘He’s given everyone a massive lift. You can see he’s got quality and other players are responding to that.

What Winterburn notes is very true. The German’s arrival has given both fans and players a huge boost, not just due to the fact that he is an amazingly talented individual, but also because of the fact that his signature showed Arsenal are not just a selling club, but still a powerhouse in the game.

While I agree with Winterburn’s comments, I believe that it has not all been down to the German’s arrival at the club, as Mathieu Flamini has allowed Arsenal’s attacking midfielders to express their flair without leaving the defence to vulnerable. This has been highlighted in recent games which we’ve lost when the Frenchman has not been available due to injury.

However, Ozil’s excellent contribution so far this season, which has resulted in 3 goals and 4 assists, should be heralded for its positive impact on the club as a whole.

Latest: