Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil's move to Arsenal came as a surprise for Nacho Monreal.

Nacho Monreal has admitted he was very surprised that Mesut Ozil made the move from Real Madrid to Arsenal but the defender insists it's an honour to play alongside the Germany international.

Ozil went to north London in the final hours of deadline day as Arsene Wenger was able to wrap up one of the biggest deals in the 2013 summer transfer window.

Many Madrid and Arsenal players have expressed shock over the deal, particularly as Ozil was insisting he would stay for the remainder of his contract just days before leaving the Spanish capital.

And while Monreal also says he didn't think that Carlo Ancelotti would want to part with such a successful and experienced midfielder he says he's glad it did go through.

He told Marca when asked if the transfer was a surprise: "Personally, I think so. Mesut is a star and Real Madrid are full of stars. [But] I didn't expect Madrid to let him go.

"For us, it's an honour to play with him."

At the start of the season Real Madrid president Florentino Perez fielded questions on multiple occasions over why he would sell Ozil and bring in Gareth Bale who was failing to produce the superstar quality he had at Tottenham while suffering from injury.

But the former Spurs man has recently found that spark that made him the most expensive player in the world, scoring three goals in his last four appearances including an important goal to seal Madrid's 2-2 draw with Juventus in a tough away Champions League group stage fixture.

Meanwhile Ozil appears to have been the missing link that Arsenal needed to get back into the mix for the title with the side currently sitting at the top of the Premier League table and looking good in the Champions League.

He wasn't his usual dominant self when the Gunners lost to Manchester United at the weekend but with the international break now rolling around the midfielder will be keen to come back when the side play Southampton next week and prove once more why he has been lauded as the Premier League signing of the summer.