There's no guarantee that El Mala will make his international bow in the coming days, given Germany's bid to qualify for the World Cup is set to go right to the wire. Even if they win in Luxembourg on Friday, top spot in Group A will only be decided after Monday's meeting with second-placed Slovakia at the Red Bull Arena. However, El Mala has clearly got a chance of making the squad for next summer's World Cup, because Nagelsmann is certain that the Koln ace is destined to become a "top player".
It's a view shared by several suitors. Brighton actually tried to sign El Mala during the summer but their €20m (£18m/$23m) bid was rejected by Koln, who were convinced that his value was only going to rise this season and thus extended his contract - and that of his brother Malek - in July.
It was a brilliant bit of business on Koln's part because, according to the latest reports, Kessler & Co. now believe El Mala is worth at least three times the Brighton bid after playing such a thrilling role in the newly-promoted club making a surprisingly strong start to the season (Koln are currently ninth in the Bundesliga).
Even Kwasniok, who is trying to manage expectations around El Mala, is in no doubt that Koln's new hero will eventually leave for "an incredibly high fee".
"We are proud that the club signed him at the right moment," the manager said. "We know that he probably won't be playing here for the next 15 years - and that's okay. But I have the feeling that he currently holds FC Koln very dear to his heart, is enjoying this time here - and we are enjoying it too." As well they should.
Kwasniok may have been joking when he said that El Mala is adding an extra €5m to his asking price with each passing goal, but it's clear that when he does eventually leave Koln, it will be for a lot more money than they got for Wirtz!
Additional reporting by Christian Guinin