£69m Arsenal target Edu could’ve signed for £7m a year ago now one of FM24’s best wonderkids

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Arsenal have got plenty right in the transfer market in recent years, but there still will be those who slip through the net.

For instance, a player the Gunners reportedly could’ve signed for £7million earlier this year – and they’re still keen on – is now a £69million gem deemed one of the best youngsters in the world.

Back in January, Bruno Andrade reported that Arsenal were eyeing 19-year-old Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande when he was on FC Midtjylland’s books.

Arsenal apparently considered signing Diomande and then loaning him out to Sporting Lisbon.

At the time, Diomande was on loan at Portuguese second-tier club Mafra. Midtjylland were reportedly standing firm on their €10million (£7million) valuation.

However, according to Andrade’s tweet on January 21, that possibility was “no longer” the case.

“The English and Portuguese are now working on different fronts for the young centre-back loaned to Mafra,” he wrote.

Andrade then replied to a follower who asked what these different fronts were. “Both are trying to buy the player,” he said.

At the end of the January transfer window, Diomande’s loan at Mafra was cut short as Sporting signed him permanently.

Portuguese outlet Record claimed in July that the defender now has a £69million release clause and his club won’t do business for less than that.

‘A player they’ve been tracking for a long time, but it’s not only Arsenal’

As for Arsenal’s continued interest, Fabrizio Romano recently said on the Daily Briefing: “Arsenal… have been linked strongly with Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande by the Portuguese press.

“I’m told he’s a player they’ve been tracking for a long time, but it’s not only Arsenal.

“There are three or four clubs monitoring Diomande for the future, but it was never a negotiation this summer as he wasn’t for sale.”

Now, The Athletic has listed Diomande as one of the best wonderkids available on Football Manager 2024.

‘Diomande is the best of a group of defenders that you might label as ‘tier two’ centre-backs in FM24,’ they wrote.

‘The players who fit this criterion may not end up being the very best at their position, but they will fall in the group just below the world’s best.’

‘He ticks the boxes of the extreme demands elite teams now place on their centre-backs’

While this is obviously a game and the comments pertain to this alone, it’s a very well researched game, and real-life ‘players to watch’ pieces have also listed Diomande.

For instance, Scouted’s Scouted50 – which lists the next 50 breakout talents to watch across this new season – also features the reported Arsenal target.

In fact, this scouting report is even more complimentary. They wrote: “He ticks the boxes of the extreme demands elite teams now place on their centre-backs.

“He’s big and fast, a dominant defender in duels and solid in the air, calm and confident in possession, as well as remarkably two-footed on the ball.

“The Ivorian will be Sporting’s next big sale to the elite of the elite.”