Scouting – The Next Big Thing: TIMO WERNER

Written by Sanmitro Chatterjee on

Welcome to The Next Big Thing, the grand new scouting series presented to you by Goalden Times. We are providing you with a sneak peek at the best youth talents aged below 22 years across different European leagues, who are expected to become the best players of the next generation. In the first episode, Sanmitro Chatterjee has selected VFB Stuttgart’s 18 year old wonder kind Timo Werner.

TIMO WERNER

Overview

Who is this Timo Werner guy – just an emerging talent from VFB Stuttgart’s rank? Or is he the next big thing? Those who have seen him play must admit, he has really got some real talent in him. It is true he is far from a finished product – he needs to work on his aerial prowess, long passes, finishing (to a certain extent) and also use his good physique to his advantage. But with his gifted acceleration, quick dribbling skills and perfect composure, he is ready to blaze the field in coming years. And we feel really excited to introduce this raw talent to you.

Country: Germany

Club: VFB Stuttgart

Position: Centre Forward/ Left Winger/ Secondary Striker

Date of Birth: 6th March, 1996

Height: 1.80m

Preferred Foot: Right

Career so far

Timo Werner made his debut for VFB Stuttgart in a UEFA Europa League Qualifying Phase match against PFC Botev Plovdiv on August 1, 2013 aged just 17 years 4 months and 25 days. He went on to make his first Bundesliga appearance against Bayer Leverkusen a few days later on 17th August. Soon he became the youngest player ever to score for VFB Stuttgart in the club’s 120-year old history with his goal against Eintracht Frankfurt on 22nd September. But he was far from done from entering into the record books. He scored a stunning brace against SC Freiburg, on November 10, thereby becoming the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score two goals in one game.



In the 2013-14 season, he scored four goals from a total of 34 appearances. Making 34 appearances for the senior team by a 17 year old is not a feat you see everyday. This clearly highlights his ability as a football player.



He has represented Germany U15, U16, U17 and U19 on international stages, having scored nine goals out of 10 appearances already for the U19 team. His U-17 stats are even more impressive where he has averaged more than one goal per match, scoring 18 goals in 16 matches. He has also represented Germany at the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.







Strengths and Weaknesses

Timo Werner has always used his incredible pace and quick dribbling to get past defenders. He is really a serious threat in counter attacks. He likes to dribble a lot, and (as per whoscored.com) has got an average of 1.1 dribbles per game this season. His numbers are quite good considering his age where he has racked up an impressive 1.2 shots and 0.5 key passes per game this season. But seeing the conversion rate from his efforts – only 42% shots on target and three goals out of them – it is clear that his finishing is not impeccable. He needs to take his finishing up one level. With his ability of making amazing runs combined with positioning sense, if he can add lethal finishing to his kitty, one only wonders what heights he can possibly reach. Though he has been deployed at different positions upfront, he has been the most effective as a wide forward (external sturmer) down the left. Another aspect he can definitely improve upon is his passing – a little over 70% passing accuracy and only a single assist this season in Bendesliga from 10 starts is not a very good stat to be honest.



To summarize, his biggest weapon is his destructive pace, dribbling skills and composure. He is good off the ball and his game is primarily based on his sprint speed. He is a distant shooter, and can take good long rangers. But he needs to improve his long range passing and finishing. He has also got a very good physique, but needs to work a bit on his strength. If he can continue his improvement in the right direction – as he has done so far – he will surely become one of the best forwards in the near future.

Other Achievements

He became Stuttgart’s leading shirt seller at such a tender age. He is a fan-favourite among Stuttgart’s fans. They love them, and he loves them back with his performance.

He won the Fritz Walter Medal – annual award given by the German Football Association to youth footballers in Germany – in the under-17 age group in 2013.





Passing Shot

A shining star from VFB-Stuttgart’s ranks, he has come a long way. He has a long career ahead of him, and we can expect him to make it as bright as possible. It is up to him, how he will shape his career. We hope that he will make his career a brilliant one with not a single boring page in it.



This is all for today. We have dissected Timo Werner’s career. If you have seen Timo Werner play, you can carry out a discussion in the comments thread. We will continue to provide you with such analysis on other young talents as well. If you want us to scout a specific player, contact us at our twitter handle @GoaldenTimes, send us an email at editor@goaldentimes.org or drop a message in our official facebook page. Till then, good bye.