Arsenal beat Chelsea and Manchester City in race to sign youngster compared to Jude Bellingham in £1.1 million deal: Reports
Arsenal have reportedly beaten Chelsea and Manchester City to sign teenage star Kyran Thompson. Thompson has been compared to Real Madrid man Jude Bellingham.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is known for his interest in young players. In the ongoing season, academy players like Ehtan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jack Porter, and Josh Nichols have made their debut starts for the senior team. Thompson, 15, could also be an investment for the future as he is rated highly.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal pipped Chelsea and Manchester City to acquire Kyran Thompson’s signature by offering him a full scholarship to St John’s Senior School in Enfield, London. They also paid West Ham United a £1.1 million fee as the teenager plays for the Hammers' Under-15 team.
The school that the Gunners are said to sponsor Thompson to is one of the most expensive private schools in England, as they pay £17,500 per year in school fees. The school’s most recent GCSE cohort achieved 70 percent Grades 9–7, formerly known as A* and A grades.
As a sign that Kryan Thomson could be a good bargain for the Gunners, Hale End player Ethan Nwaneri, who has impressed in all the matches he has started for the senior team, also attended St. John. St John is renowned for nurturing schoolboy footballers from the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham.
The Gunners have been permitted to allow their players to take part in Full-Time Training Module (FTTM) programs, which are assumed to give students more time away from campus. Due to Arsenal’s commitment to sending youngsters to the coveted school, the teenager's parents choose the north London club over Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta says Hale End player is going to determine how much he plays for Arsenal's senior team
Mikel Arteta has shared that academy player Ethan Nwaneri will decide how often he gets to play for the senior team. Nwaneri has featured six in six games across competitions for the Gunners this season while being named twice in the starting XI.
The 17-year-old impressed in the two League Cup matches where he got the opportunity to start, scoring three goals across both games. After the Gunners defeated Preston North End 3-0 on October 30, Arteta claimed that Nwaneri’s future at the club is in his own hands.
He said (via Mirror):
“He’s going to really dictate how fast that’s going to go, but I’m really, really happy with him. There’s so much personality there. He wants to impose himself, he wants every ball, he wants to make things happen. Outside around the boy, he’s still a bit quiet, as is usual for a 17-year-old."
“But he’s very respectful, his work ethic is tremendous and he loves what he does, you can tell that. I think he is showing every day what he is capable of. You see his teammates, they are giving him the ball all the time, that’s a great sign. So we have some player there," Arteta added.
Arsenal will next be in action against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday, November 2.