According to the French outlet, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. Arsenal are also prepared to make a bid for the 18-year-old in the summer. They believe that he could perform the role of Patrick Vieira in the squad. This is high praise for any midfielder as Patrick Vieira was one legend of the game.
Arsenal had already tried to sign a midfielder in January but failed in their pursuit of Arthur from Juventus. They now have to make these necessary signings in the summer to continue their development. The Gunners have come a long way from where they were in the past two seasons. They could be challenging for trophies next season and are in the prime spot to secure a Champions League spot for next season.
Lesley Ugochukwu is very capable of playing as the holding defensive midfielder at such a young age. It is difficult to find players who are comfortable in that role at such a young age. He has started three games for his club while also making 10 appearances from the bench in Ligue 1 and has registered one goal to his name.
The north London derby could take place in the transfer market also as both Arsenal and Spurs are keeping their tabs open on Lesley Ugochukwu. Arsenal currently looks more determined than their rivals but Spurs have already snatched a few of Arsenal’s targets in January this season. However, it remains to be seen what Rennes could ask for in return for the midfielder.
Why is Arsenal hell-bent to sign Lesley Ugochukwu?
Rennes have already produced the talent of Eduardo Camavinga for whom the whole world was willing to make a move. Eventually, he did seal a move to Real Madrid and has put in some impressive displays for the Spanish giants. Similarly, Lesley Ugochukwu could follow the footsteps of Camavinga by shining for Rennes and then making a big move in summer.
Despite being 18-years-old, he still stands tall at 6 feet with strong physical prowess. He is still a teenager and still has a lot of growth to do. Ugochukwu uses his timing and balance to make perfect tackles and win the ball back for his team. He did shy away when he faced the challenge of facing Neymar and did quite an impressive job to keep Neymar quiet.
Lesley Ugochukwo can even play as a center-back or as a box-to-box midfielder for Arsenal. This allows Mikel Arteta multiple options in match as he can deploy Partey as the holding midfielder with Ugochukwo as the box-to-box midfielder. Xhaka has done a decent job there this season but it can be way better with a player originally belonging to that position.
Lesley Ugochukwu is still 18 years of age and Arsenal or Tottenham will be making a signing for their future. Arsenal should now focus on winning some trophies next season and should sign some experienced players. The Gunners can sign players for the future in the next summer too as they have a chance of winning trophies next season. Moreover, Arsenal should spend the money on priority signings rather signing a youngster who will have very less game time.
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