DONE DEAL: Manchester United finally seal double transfer signings as both superstars are ready to be announced this today- Their squad number revealed
Whether through signing them or bringing them through the academy, Arsenal have a proud history of developing some incredible youngsters.
A few years ago, it was the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka who were breaking through the ranks; now it’s Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly, and in the next couple of years, it could be Max Dowman.
While Mikel Arteta is sometimes labelled as a manager who doesn’t play youth, the last few years have proven that wrong.
Moreover, the club now have their eyes on another seriously exciting talent, who could be a future Viktor Gyokeres, whom they’re also close to finally signing.
Arsenal close in on the present and future Gyokeres
While the signings of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard, plus the soon-to-be additions of Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera, are certainly exciting, they don’t feel like they’ll be as consequential as Gyokeres.
Arsenal fans have been crying out for a prolific number nine for years now, and with 54 goals and 13 assists in 52 games last season, that is what the Swedish striker is.
Moreover, while it’s not a cheap deal, it’s not going to require a record outlay either, with most reports now claiming that the initial fee will be around £55m, with some easy-to-achieve add-ons still to be decided upon.
However, to ensure a club the size of the North Londoners can remain successful long into the future, the board also have to invest in the future, which seems to be what they are currently looking to do.
At least that is according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, who suggest the Gunners have agreed a deal to sign Salford City wonderkid Will Wright.
They report that Arsenal have seen a £200k bid accepted by the EFL club, as the Gunners hone in on signing one of the country’s top young talents.
The Londoners are set to fend off competition from Liverpool to secure his signature, with the Reds having lodged their own bid of £100k.
It is a lot of money to spend on someone so young, but it could prove to be a masterstroke in years to come, especially if Wright is a Gyokeres in the making.
Why Wright could be a future Gyokeres
Okay, so the first thing to make clear is that we know it’s quite a leap to suggest that a 17-year-old youth prospect could develop into a player akin to one Arsenal are about to spend big on, but we have our reasons.
First and foremost, the teenage sensation has already proven that, when given the chance, he can score bags and bags of goals.
In fact, he didn’t just score 20, or even 30 for Salford’s youth side last season; he managed to score a whopping 40 goals, which might not be the same as the Sporting man’s 54, but it’s not far off for a youngster.
On top of his prolific nature in front of goal, the young forward shares the Swede’s raw desire to score goals, as exemplified by the fact that at the start of last season, he was averaging 4.6 shots a game, compared to the 27-year-old’s 4.08 shots a game across the last year.
Moreover, one of the ways the former Coventry City star gets himself into so many goalscoring situations is because he’s excellent at running in behind opposition defences, which, according to Total Football Analysis, is one of Salford City gem’s biggest strengths.
However, he’s not a one-dimensional striker, and like the Stockholm-born ace, he’s also more than capable of playing a quick passing game with his teammates to create space and chances for himself or his teammates.
Finally, despite being just 17, the highly-rated youngster is the same height as the soon-to-be Gunners star, coming in at 6 foot 2, and it’s evident in clips that he’s comfortable using his stature to ride challenges before breaking away with a burst of pace and putting the ball in the back of the net.
