With Arsenal’s pre-season tour in flow in Australia, the major signings have taken a backseat at the moment. The Gunners have included new arrivals Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette in their squad and they looked quite comfortable in their first game against Sydney. However, the Academy scouts have no rest back home and the Gunners are in strong pursuit of some of the star teen sensations.
And if reports are to be believed, then the North London side is currently facing a stiff competition from arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of Manchester City’s wonder kid Jadon Sancho. The attacking midfielder has caught the eyes of some of the top clubs in Europe and his unwillingness to sign a new contract has kept clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham, Red Bull Leipzig on red alert.
Arsenal and Spurs are the prime suitors and given the huge names that have come up from their academies and Under 18s in the last decade, Sancho will surely have a difficult choice on his hands. While Arsenal have seen players like Cesc Fabregas, Hector Bellerin, Gael Clichy, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and more making it to the big stage, the Lilywhites are a current example of how to run a football side with young talents.
Since Mauricio Pochettino took charge, Spurs have seen the rise of players like Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Harry Winks and many more doing brilliantly in the Premier League. And Sancho is believed to have the potential to reach their level or to even surpass them in the coming years.
Arsenal have fallen off the pace over the last one decade since they moved to Emirates from Highbury as they didn’t quite manage to replace four-five of their star players who left following the move. And although the club has maintained its philosophy to bring in more young talents to the fore, which has seen many youngsters playing even in the Champions League, they haven’t really gone onto win major silverwares through it.
It has pushed their manager Arsene Wenger into cashing more on proven talents like Granit Xhaka, Danny Welbeck, Lacazette, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and more. However, we still see the likes of Rob Holding, Jeff Rene-Adelaide, Chris Willock, Chuba Akpom and more into the picture and flourishing; which is a clear proof of why Sancho could actually step up with a move to the club.
According to reports, Arsenal are also hot on heels of West Ham United 17-year-old sensation, Domingos Quina, yet another central midfielder who is flourishing in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in Georgia.
