Arsene Wenger targeted ‘next Vieira’ Riechedly Bazoer has not lived up to the hype

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This week saw Dutch international Richedly Bazoer on the move. The 22-year-old has headed back to the Netherlands, joining FC Utrecht on loan from Wolfsburg for the rest of the season.

It will be a move that leaves fans of several Premier League clubs surprised. Not least Arsenal. Because based on his previous hype, Bazoer should be a world-beater right now.

Bazoer, who controversially swapped PSV for Ajax in 2012, was considered a star of the future when he burst into the Ajax first-team as a teenager. His performances saw him pick up Dutch international caps at a tender age and being linked with some of the biggest clubs across Europe.

Arsenal were one such team.

Several reports linked Arsenal with the players for a number of years, His physical presence and style of play even earned him the moniker ‘next Patrick Vieira’.

The Mirror’s John Cross, an Arsenal expert, suggested that Arsene Wenger had sent chief scout Steve Rowley to check on the player numerous times.

Several other big teams wanted Bazoer. However, he shocked many when he joined VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. Seemingly hoping for more regular first-team chances, he joined in January 2017 for a fee reported to be in the region of €12 million (£10.6 million).

Since then, things have not worked out. He has struggled in Germany and in the summer was allowed to join Porto on a season loan.

That move has also failed. As reported by Football Oranje, he was cast to the B team in Portugal due to a ‘lack of discipline’.

Hopefully, heading back to Holland will help Bazoer find his best form once again. However, it would appear that Arsenal may not be missing out on the ‘next Vieira’ after all.