Just how good can Arsenal’s German prodigy get?

I think it’s fair to say that most Arsenal fans were disappointed to hear that their club’s interest in a Borussia Dortmund player last January amounted to a move for Thomas Eisfeld. The Bundesiga side has been a hotbed for European talent over the last couple of seasons, with layers like Shinji Kagawa and Robert Lewandowksi on their books. And then there’s Mario Goetze, one of European football’s finest young talents and just the kind of player that most Arsenal fans want to see their club sign.

So when they signed an unknown youngster from BVB’s U19 side, the sense of disappointment was palpable. When he signed he hadn’t played for any of Germany’s youth teams and hadn’t played for the Dortmund first team. Then there’s the fact that he suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage back in 2009, knocking months of the youngsters development. It’s fair to say that expectations were low and that confusion was rife.

Still, the prowess of the Gunner’s scouting team is not to be underestimated and Arsene Wenger himself is a dab hand at separating the wheat from the chaff when it comes to young talent. So the hope remained that the Arsenal boss had unearthed another diamond from the rough.

What tempted the Gunners to sign him? His six goals and six assists in 12 appearances for BVB’s U19 side. Impressive stats, no doubt, but hardly the best testing grounds.

He cost Arsenal €475,000 and he’s under contract with Arsenal until Summer 2015. Upon the announcement, Wenger said: “Thomas is a player we have liked for some time. We’ve watched him closely this season, where he has excelled for Dortmund’s youth team. 

He is young but has proven to us that he can play, that he has the attitude and technical ability to be a valuable addition to our squad. We’re very pleased to welcome him to the Club and look forward to his contribution in the coming seasons.”

But we had very little tangible evidence of his ability until his performance and goal against Malaysia XI during a pre-season game last Tuesday. It was a (notably brief) performance that saw drooling (deluded?) Arsenal fans compare the youngster in turns to Jack Wilshere and Mario Goetze. You can see where they were going with those claims, but it’s way too premature to make these kind of pronouncements. A pre-season game really amounts to a warm-up, nothing more.

The signs were there, however, that he could amount to something more than a Reserve team player. At just 19-years-old, he’s already oozing with confidence, can move the ball around nicely and is ice-cool in front of goal.

Arsenal’s midfield is absolutely jam-packed with talent, but there’s no stopping Eisfeld from breaking into the first team over the next couple of years.

What’s your take? Just how good can this Arsenal youngster get?

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