Various reports have emerged indicating that Arsenal are keeping tabs on Marseille teen sensation Maxime Lopez. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has been likened to Samir Nasri and has broken into the Marseille first team making five appearances this season.
Lopez has bagged an assist despite coming off 3 times from the bench out of his 5 appearances. Arsenal will be facing competition from Liverpool who have also shown strong interest in the player. Although Liverpool are willing to wait for summer to get hands on the player, competition from Arsenal might force Klopp to go for the player in January.
With the history of Arsene Wenger and French players, Arsenal are more than likely to win the race to sign him against Liverpool if Wenger really wants the kid. The central midfielder will primarily be a long term prospect with Cazorla, Xhaka, Elneny, Coquelin and Wilshere all available for the role in that position.
At 167cm, the player is similar to that of Jack Wilshere. The highly unproven prospect has much to show before he lands his first chance in the English football. Arsenal have many other similar prospects in Jeff Rene-Adelaide, Gedion Zelalem and so on who are fighting for the same place.
Lopez has caught eye with his sprint speed and acceleration in the midfield. His composure on the ball has been really worth appreciating. But he lacks the strength to cope in the English football at the moment and would require some time to settle in England.
Wenger always gives chance to his young players in the League cup games and even in Champions league. Players like Carlos Vela, Fran Merida, Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain have got chances to showcase their talent at a very early age. This makes Arsenal the perfect platform for Lopez.
Lopez has come up the ranks of Marseille and is a very technical player. If the hype is to be believed then Wenger will surely go for a player of his quality. Although at the moment it seems Liverpool are looking a better destination for the Frenchman as he will be having more chance of making to the first-team.
Arsenal are currently in the 4th position of the Premier League after they recently dropped points against Spurs. This season looks promising for the Gunners after they started it with a defeat to Liverpool. They haven’t lost a game since. The Gunners will be looking to bounce back after the international break gets over with their game at Old Trafford.
