Kobbie Mainoo reacts to news out of Arsenal

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Arsenal academy star Lino Sousa completed a move from the Emirates Stadium to Aston Villa on transfer deadline day.

On Thursday evening, both the Gunners and the Villans confirmed on their official websites that the 19-year-old had swapped N5 for B6.

Villa also announced that Sousa would be immediately heading on loan to Championship side Plymouth Argyle for the rest of the season.

The move saw Sousa’s time at Arsenal come to an end after two years as he returns to the West Midlands, having joined the Gunners from West Bromwich Albion in January 2022.

Sousa took to Instagram with a post in which he welcomed his move from Arsenal to Villa, with the caption: “New beginnings, excited for this next chapter! Let’s get to work.”

Plenty of Sousa’s peers wished him well in the comments, including a number of now-former teammates at Arsenal, such as Ethan Nwaneri.

Manchester United talent Kobbie Mainoo and Tottenham Hotspur summer signing Ashley Phillips, who have played alongside Sousa at England youth level, and transfer guru Fabrizio Romano also responded in the comments.

Arsenal sell Lino Sousa to Aston Villa

Villa have done well to sign such an exciting talent in Sousa, a player whose Arsenal exit has left some Gunners fans wondering why their club hasn’t worked harder to try and retain him.

When Arsenal signed Sousa from West Bromwich Albion back in 2022, The Sun likened him to a Jordi Alba 2.0.

They claimed he’s ‘in the mould’ of the Barcelona defender, who was one of the best left-backs in the world during his prime.

Meanwhile, The Athletic reported that people at West Brom felt Sousa is ‘outstanding’ and ‘among the best in the country’ at his age level.

Sousa will now get the chance to play competitive first-team football at Plymouth, and then Unai Emery can have a good look at him in pre-season.