Immanuel Pherai: Scouting Report by Adam Khan

This article is adapted from Adam Khan’’s Medium Portfolio – a collection of professional scouting reports highlighting some of the most exciting talents in German football.

If you are interested in sourcing my video-scouting expertise for your club, agency, or company, please reach me at business.adamkhan@gmail.com or on Twitter at @XxAdamKhanxX.

In today’s report, we analyse Eintracht Braunschweig midfielder Immanuel Pherai. We highlight his strengths and weaknesses, and his current ability and future potential.

Biography

Immanuel Pherai is one of the most talented creative midfielders in the 2nd Bundesliga. The 21-year-old Dutch youth international came through the Borussia Dortmund academy (U17-U19), before subsequently spending time at PEC Zwolle (2020/21) in the Dutch Eredivisie, and Borussia Dortmund II in the 3rd Bundesliga.

Given his enormous talent, relatively modest market value, and Eintracht Braunschweig’s precarious table position, the potential for a move this summer is very high.

Injury History

No notable injuries that should have an impact on his value, or future potential.

Strengths

Ball-Carrying

Despite primarily operating in congested central areas, Pherai is a very good ball carrier in possession. He is able to cover large areas of the pitch in a timely fashion but remains upright in his stature to maintain a vision of the entire pitch and the movements of his teammates.

This ball-carrying ability is often paired with a final pass to set a winger or forward into motion on goal.

While Pherai has a good sense of timing and the technical attributes to play a key pass in the final third, he is somewhat inconsistent in his delivery, thus making this aspect of his game neither a strength nor a weakness in his current game.

Defensive Activity

Given Pherai’s attacking positioning, and creative play style, it shouldn’t be taken for granted just how committed he is to defensive moments. Pherai is an energetic presser, a solid tackler, and is often willing to track opposition players deep into his own half to help prevent a goalscoring opportunity.

Long-Range Finishing

Pherai isn’t a lethal finisher, but he has extreme quality in his long-range ball-striking ability. The power he can generate can provide significant issues for an opposition goalkeeper and defence.

Set-pieces

Pherai is a very good set-piece taker, taking all indirect free kicks, and corners, for his current club side. Particularly his out-swinging deliveries from right corner kicks and his inswinging freekicks from the left half-space are dangerous.

He currently has one assist from a set piece this season.

Movement into the box

Pherai is adept at finding space in the opposition box. He times his movements well in order to meet the incoming delivery at the right moment and not attract opposition attention.

He is aware of his surroundings, (I.e opposition goal, opposition defenders, positioning of teammates and ball) and is able to shift his movements on the fly to expose weaknesses in the backline or find open space to offer a better goal-scoring option.

⭐ Ball Manipulation & Change of Direction

Pherai’s ability to change direction with astounding speed is his key strength.

He has a fantastic sense of balance and swiftness of movement that allows him to quickly turn in possession and leave opposition defenders without a chance.

Pherai is also uniquely aware of how he can use his physical frame to keep stronger defenders away from positions where they can win back possession. This helps negate the weaknesses that come from his relatively small stature that could see him dominated in physical divisions like the 2nd & 3rd Bundesliga.

Weaknesses

Left Foot

Pherai is extremely right-foot dominant, particularly when it comes to his actions in the final third. It’s not a significant weakness in most areas of his game, but it is nevertheless something of note given his central positioning and 360° impact on matches.

His finishing is severely impacted though. Pherai has taken 25 shots in all competitions this season, of which 24 were taken with his right foot, and 1 was taken with his left foot.

On multiple occasions, Pherai either rushed the finish in order to execute with his right foot or opted against shifting onto his left foot where a better angle was potentially available.

Aerial / Heading Ability

As one would expect from a player who is 1,75m (5,74 ft), Pherai is not a factor in aerial duels. It isn’t a significant weakness given his position and role on set pieces, but clubs with a strong reliance on aerial duels should take it into account.

Lack of Tempo Manipulation

Pherai often gives off the impression of playing the entire game at 100 miles per hour. He almost always looks for the defence-cutting final pass, frequently plays one touch, and attempts multiple risky forward passes that have a high probability of getting intercepted.

While capable of each of these skills, bringing more balance into his decision-making will make Pherai a more impactful player.

Implementing these changes will particularly help him become more valuable for sides who spend large spells of the match in defensive transition, and often require an attacking midfielder who can slow the tempo of the game down and allow teammates an opportunity for active recovery in possession.

⭐ Tunnel Vision

Pherai’s key weakness is his lack of the full vision of the pitch in possession.

He frequently plays back into pressure situations, often dribbles into congested areas, and rarely looks to switch the point of attack with a horizontal diagonal that opens up possession and forces the opposition defence to shift shape.

Grading

Pherai is an extremely talented attacking midfielder who is prepared to take the next step into a top-flight outfit.

He has a sensational ability to quickly turn and manipulate space in possession, and his goal-scoring record is proof that he is more than just moments of flash.

With a solid impact out of possession, Pherai is also a viable option for numerous clubs which don’t see a lot of the ball and require an attacking midfielder to offer an impactful defensive presence.

While he has the propensity to lose sight of the entire pitch and lacks the maturity to manipulate and manage the tempo of the game, these are traits that can be developed and shouldn’t pose a substantial threat to his future potential.

If you are interested in sourcing my video-scouting expertise for your club, agency, or company, please reach me at business.adamkhan@gmail.com or on Twitter at @XxAdamKhanxX.