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

Mesut Ozil spoke highly of Arsenal youngsters Serge Gnabry and Thomas Eisfeld (Getty)

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

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/capital-one-cup-arsene-wenger-undecided-whether-to-use-arsenal-youngsters-against-chelsea-8841967.html

Cazorla rules himself out for Napoli return

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/arsenal-midfielder-santi-cazorla-rules-himself-out-for-napoli-match-but-says-he-could-return-against-west-brom-8841520.html

Wenger praises 'positive' Bendtner comeback

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/nicklas-bendtner-return-for-arsenal-labelled-as-positive-by-arsene-wenger-8841059.html