Arsenal’s prized youngster Arthur Okonkwo has still not signed a new deal with the club and Celtic are readying themselves for a swoop offer. Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig are also monitoring the 6 feet 5 inches shot-stopper who has been offered a scholarship to club’s academy and a professional contract when he turns 17.
However, according to reports the club and the player’s representatives have not landed on an agreement yet and this has alerted several clubs, all ready with lucrative deals. Arsenal have brought in Huss Fahmy from Team Sky to negotiate deals with players and his shrewd tactics could end up costing the club in the long run.
After all, Okonkwo is not just any other youth player with just a decent chance of making it into the big times. The 16-year-old is already hailed as one of the best players to have come out of the club’s academy and is already as tall as David De Gea.
He is born of Nigerian descent but has represented England in U16 and U17 category on 6 occasions. Many have already given him a fair chance of breaking into the senior Gunners squad sometime in the near future. He is a star performer for the club’s U18 side and has appeared in 4 games this season while collecting 1 clean sheet.
Okonkwo is just another one of the highly promising Arsenals prospects to have been churned out of the Arsene Wenger system. The Frenchman has worked tirelessly to put together such an impressive youth setup over his 22-year reign and the teenager could end up being another loss.
It would be wise for the club to take a further look into the player’s contract and start repairing the broken relationship if there ever was one. Okonkwo reportedly wants to remain at the Emirates and continue his development. This should be enough to motivate the Arsenal board into giving him a better wage rate.
Celtic are in the midst of another rebuilding process and they are snapping up European teenagers at will. Brendan Rodgers has put together a side whose average age is just over 26.
The former Liverpool coach is also in the market for a competent shot-stopper after enduring a season with the injury-stricken Craig Gordon.
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The Hoops were left with the 37-year-old Dorus De Vries, Scott Bain and an inexperienced Ross Doohan, after sending Connor Hazard out on loan to Falkirk. Maybe the time is now to make the swoop offer and start developing the teenager into prime Scottish Premiership material.
