Mesut Ozil says he is surprised by the talent of Arsenal youngsters Thomas Eisfeld and Serge Gnabry
Record signing praises the technical quality of the Gunners' squad
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil admitted he was surprised by the level of quality within the squad and praised the club's youngsters coming through, such as Thomas Eisfeld and Serge Gnabry.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger fielded a youthful side against West Brom in the League Cup clash at the Hawthorns and progressed to the next round 4-3 on penalties after the score was still level at 1-1 after extra time. Arsenal will now face Chelsea in the fourth round at the Emirates Stadium.
The German international Ozil singled out compatriots Eisfeld, 20, and Gnabry, 18, as impressing, with the former scoring his first professional goal in the tie.
"They [Eisfeld and Gnabry] are very talented," Ozil revealed in a Twitter question and answer session today. "They have to develop further, but they are on the right track."
When asked which of his new team-mates has impressed him the most, Ozil refused to give a name, saying: "I don't just want to say one player, I am surprised by the technical quality of the whole team."
Arsenal's £42.5m record signing was also quick to praise the fans for helping him settle in, adding:"They have been very positive and I know they have a lot of support for me."
A month after his move from Real Madrid, the 24-year-old is learning English and while he improves his fluency, he claims that multi-lingual Wenger and himself "speak in German at the moment". When a fan asked about his manager’s level of fluency, Ozil replied: "He can speak very well."
Ozil has made an instant contribution to the side, with three assists coming in his first two games, and while he is content with the creative side of his game, he feels aspects of his game such as scoring goals require improvement.
"I don't want to praise myself too much but I think my statistics are good. [However] I would like to score more goals."
Further reading...
Wenger undecided as to stick with the kids against Chelsea
Cazorla rules himself out for Napoli return
Wenger praises 'positive' Bendtner comeback
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments