Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are reportedly willing to part ways with another one of their young talents in the year to come, and are even willing to let him cross north London and join rivals Tottenham.
Arsenal ruing Chido Obi-Martin exit
Arsenal have seen some high-profile young talents leave the club in recent seasons, and there are fears that they may have just made another mistake.
The major case in previous years was with Serge Gnabry, who was wasted on loan at struggling Premier League side West Brom before becoming one of the best wingers in world football at Bayern Munich.
This summer, another gem escaped their grasp in the form of Chido Obi Martin, who tore the U18s apart in Arsenal colours last season, scoring 32 times in just 18 games, scoring at a rate of once every 45 minutes.
He secured a high-profile move to Manchester United over the most recent transfer window, and got his Red Devils career off to the perfect start, scoring after just 15 seconds on his way to a 14-minute hat-trick in the U18s.
Tottenham look to sign Arsenal gem
That comes as a report from Spain claims that Tottenham are keeping a very close eye on Arsenal loanee Karl Hein, who is currently out on loan at Real Valladolid.
The 22-year-old, who has made just one senior appearance for the Gunners, has turned in a series of impressive performances in LaLiga, keeping three clean sheets in 11 outings thus far.
It is added that Arsenal “could consider selling him in the next transfer window”, though a summer sale is more likely than a winter one given his loan agreement in Spain. Indeed, the Gunners have even set a price, with the report claiming that they “would be willing to sell the young Estonian for between 15-20 million” euros (£12.5m-£17m).
Karl Hein in 2024/25 | |
Appearances | 11 |
Clean Sheets | 3 |
Goals Conceded | 21 |
Save % | 60.4% |
% of crosses stopped | 7.5% |
The goalkeeper signed a new contract with the club last summer, and Arteta admitted that he had been left impressed by the 22-year-old.
“Karl impresses us on a daily basis with his attitude and commitment,” the Gunners boss explained. “We appreciate being able to contribute to his development. I would like to congratulate him on earning a new contract.”
With Neto only in north London on loan, there is a vacancy at the Emirates Stadium, but a first-team spot elsewhere in London may be an offer too good to refuse if it arrives.