Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 8y

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil breaks Premier League record for chances created

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has broken the Premier League record for chances created in a season, overtaking the mark previously held by Frank Lampard.

After setting up five chances in the 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Sunday, Ozil, 27, has now created a total of 137 opportunities for his Gunners teammates in the league this campaign, the Premier League has confirmed.

That eclipses Lampard's previous record of 134 in the 2008-09 season and is 21 ahead of Cesc Fabregas' previous best for Arsenal from the 2006-07 campaign, according to statistics that have been compiled by Opta since 2003.

While Ozil, who was not included in the PFA Team of the Year, has been Arsenal's most creative player throughout the season, his teammates have struggled to convert the chances he has made over the second half of the campaign.

The Germany international had 16 assists by Jan. 1, but has added just two since then and remains two short of Thierry Henry's single-season Premier League record. He now has just three more games to pass Henry's mark.

Ozil's two assists in 2016 have come from a total of 57 chances that he created for his teammates -- a conversion rate of less than four percent. That is compared to getting 16 assists from 80 chances created before Jan. 1 -- a conversion rate of 20 percent.

Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott have been among the most profligate of Ozil's teammates, scoring just two league goals apiece in 2016.

Arsenal's trouble scoring has been a large reason for why they have faded from the title race this season after being top of the league in January, and are now facing another fight just to stay in the top four.

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