Gedion Zelalem: 'Soccer Potential and American-ness"

not sure i had read that, but a lot was posted on him (mainly on the arsenal thread) during the preseason.

interesting premise. i suppose this might show that a top talent can at least not be ruined growing up in America. his key attribute is his vision, but i was really surprised at how technically skilled he was and how perfectly weighted his through balls and chips were. i was surprised because of his training in the US. that is a positive sign.

as that article said, he probably won't ever suit up for us. if he could make his decision now (and he could actually choose us), we might have a really strong chance. he sounds like an average American kid in his interviews. however he's two years away from being eligible for citizenship, he'll have been living in London then for two plus years at a club with a strong German core (that will probably continue to grow), and the whole work permit issue. it's a longshot he ever plays for us.

I have no idea what Gedion's intentions are regarding international play. What we do know...

A. He isn't American(yet), but identifies himself, at least partially, as an American.

B. He's played for our(USA) and Germany's youth set up.

Also, when picking a country to represent, I don't believe the EU work permit would be a deciding factor for Gedion. He's clearly an exceptional talent. I mean, hell, Brek Shea received his work permit via the "exceptional talent" clause.