Who is this 19-year-old prodigy on Arsenal and Man United’s radar?
According to reports in the Mirror, Premier League clubs Manchester United and Arsenal have joined Juventus in the race to sign Hertha Berlin wonderkid Arne Maier. The German youngster is only 19 years of age but is already a U-21 international and is considered as the next Toni Kroos.
He holds the record for being the youngest ever debutant for Hertha, aged 17 years and 103 days, and has now become a regular in the first-team. The report says that United and Arsenal sent their scouts to see the player in action, with Juventus too following suit.
Here’s everything you need to know about the player:
Player report – Arne Maier
Age – 19
Current Club – Hertha Berlin
Main Position – Defensive Midfielder
Maier is a very accomplished defensive midfielder in German football at such a young age. He can read the game well, pass accurately and also shoot from distance if given the opportunity. He is tall enough (183cm) to win aerial duels and dominate the opposition attackers.
Dipping into some of his stats from this season, he has played four games and has averaged a passing accuracy of 87.9%. The 19-year-old won 1.3 aerial duels per game to thwart the attackers. He can dribble past people in tight situations and he has done that 1.3 times per game this season.
As a defensive midfielder, it is important to be able to read the game accurately, a quality Maier has in abundance. The German has a tackle, interception and clearance rate of 2, 1.3 and 2 respectively, which is quite impressive.
In a nutshell, Maier is a quality midfielder who has the tools to become one of the best in the business. He has already played for the Germany U-21s, having come through the ranks at Hertha Berlin.
Verdict
Arsenal and Manchester United are targeting a very adept player who can take the Premier League by storm with his work in defensive midfield. Given the fact that he is a Bundesliga regular at Hertha and has performed very nicely, we cannot move away from the reality that a big club move could be around the corner for him (with all due respect Hertha Berlin, of course).
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Hence, Man United and Arsenal have to try their best to get him in due course of time, failing which a big offer could come up from elsewhere sooner than later.
Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com