You BetImpact of Bale and Ozil on their new teams among factors to consider

The first international break of the new season is unfortunately timed for followers of the English Premier League and Europe's other top divisions. Just when the form is becoming established after the opening handful of games, the club scene is put on hold and everyone goes almost back to square one.

On top of that, the closure of the transfer window on September 2 means there are significant new factors for punters to weigh up. The impact of Gareth Bale and Mesut Ozil, at Real Madrid and Arsenal respectively, will be keenly anticipated, while other clubs have to deal with the fallout from missed opportunities. How, for instance, will Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye mend the bridges he seemed so intent on burning in his efforts to force a move that never happened?

Ozil, the assists king of European football, is one of the most exciting arrivals ever in the Premier League, and not simply because of his £42.4 million (HK$520 million) price tag. The German midfielder spent three seasons at Real Madrid and in that time only Lionel Messi could match him for assists in the big European leagues. Last season he had 13 assists in La Liga, as well as nine goals, and he created 92 chances, at a faster rate than any other player in the top leagues.

The doubters will point out Ozil was in a top-class team at Real Madrid, who scored 103 league goals last season. That means Ozil scored or assisted in 21 per cent of their goals, which is an impressive figure but not as good as his new Arsenal teammate Santi Cazorla, who scored or assisted in 32 per cent of the Gunners' goals last season.

Ozil, however, has shone wherever he has played. In his final season at Werder Bremen before his move to Madrid, at the age of 21, Ozil's figures were strikingly similar to last season's - 12 assists and nine goals - and that meant he scored or assisted in 30 per cent of Werder's goals. For Germany he has six goals and seven assists in eight competitive games in the past year.

A more legitimate question mark over Ozil - although it hardly seems fair considering he has yet to kick a ball in English football - is whether he has the physicality to stamp his class on the Premier League. Arsene Wenger clearly has no doubts, but Ozil is more slightly built than Cazorla and the stats suggest his impact in terms of assists is greatest when the game is won or virtually won. A relatively small number of his assists produce the opening goal.