According to Sky Sports, Arsenal have completed their second signing of the season in Belgian club’s KAS Eupen starlet Henry Onyekuru. The winger has been one of the revelations in the Jupiler Pro League this season emerging as their highest scorer and Arsenal had to battle many clubs in reaching an agreement with the 19-year-old.
Days after their dream win over Chelsea in the FA Cup final game, where the Gunners had to really fight against the odds, the inevitable happened as Arsene Wenger signed a new two-year contract. The Frenchman definitely put up a strong case with the way he has ended the season and owner Stan Kroenke was convinced.
Transfer window is expected to be a tad bit more eventful for the Arsenal fans now. The Frenchman has stuck to his principles for long and his prolonged tenure at the club despite the protests of thousands of fans and critics will come at that cost. Arsenal are expected to bring in a Sporting Director making Wenger’s decision not the ultimatum, and one who could supervise the transfers.
And it has already started to work. Arsenal were fast to bring in Schalke’s star left-back Sead Kolasinac weeks back as he came closer to his contract end with the German side and now Arsenal have beaten the likes of Celtic and many other Premier League sides to agree to Onyekuru’s £6.8 million release clause.
The North-London side has been in talks with Eupen since only last week and an agreement so fast only means Arsenal’s transfer policy is changing. Last season, Arsenal could bring in Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez only after the season had started and they had lost five points already. Things look to happen differently now with Wenger changing his methods.
Onyekuru has scored 24 goals and registered nine assists in all competitions for Eupen, and given his young age and Eupen’s under average side, his achievement looks huge. Sky Sports have also reported that the player is yet to agree to personal terms with Arsenal but given his huge admiration for the club, he will close things fast.
He has already turned down offers from Belgian giants Brugge and Anderlecht, who were ready to meet his release clause. Scottish giants Celtic were dangerously close to landing him in January but Eupen decided against letting him go in the midseason. Although his permit could be a hindrance as he is yet to be capped in national colours, the upcoming friendly match between Nigeria and Togo should take care of that.
