Arsenal have got it bang on in recent times in terms of their transfers into the club as Mikel Arteta and Edu leave their mark on the club.
Eyebrows were raised in the summer when the Gunners splashed the cash on a number of younger players. In came the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Sambi Lokonga, and Takehiro Tomiyasu for over £100m, while Nuno Tavares was another young upstart brought into the club.
And while January might have proven fruitless for Arteta and Edu this time around, Arsenal are expected to go big again this summer. They are seeking a proven striker, and they could even splash out on more players should they fit the club’s vision.
However, while instant upgrades are needed in some positions, Arsenal also have one eye on the future and a weekend scouting trip in the last few days could secure the Gunners’ future in defence. As we reported at the weekend, Arsenal scouted both Jesus Vazquez and Cristhian Mosquera as they played for Spain under-19s. And it was apparently a trip well spent.
Arsenal Right To Pursue Young Talent
If anyone is going to have their eye in when it comes to emerging young Spanish players then you’d like to assume Mikel Arteta will be that man. Arsenal have had plenty of success with younger players in the past from Spain, with the likes of Bellerin and Fabregas both good examples.
Vazquez and Mosquera are both top young Spanish players. Mosquera is said to have a release-clause of around £22m, while Vazquez has featured seven times for Valencia already this season, starting the last three.
Mosquera, meanwhile, is still just 17 and yet has featured four times this season. To do so in La Liga is quite the feat, and suggests Valencia have every confidence in the young centre-back being a star of the future.
For Arsenal, signing young players like this is key. And while they face competition for both, the project Arteta is building is intriguing for the Valencia duo. Certainly, they’ll see a pathway into the first-team and could well be keen to join such an exciting time at Arsenal.