Bournemouth youngster Ajani Burchall is believed to be closing on a move to Arsenal.
The Scottish Sun reports that the Gunners are ahead in the race to sign the 16 year-old, who excited prospective suitors this week by rejecting the scholarship offer from his current club.
Burchall is the Cherries’ third youngest every debutant, coming off the bench in December for a three-minute cameo against Huddersfield, before retaining his place on the bench the following weekend against Luton, but hasn’t been seen in the senior setup since.
He could well be the latest future star to make the move to London, with the club having brought in a number of youngsters in recent windows, including Omar Rekik and Nikolaj Moller who are highly rated from their time with their previous clubs.
Burchall will not be allowed to sign a professional contract until his 17th birthday, but 16 year-olds are allowed to sign scholarship deals to join academies in the mean time, although it remains to be seen if the Gunners will convince the youngster to sign.
The Bournemouth youngster is known as a left-winger, and will likely be excited by the possibility of following former academy graduates Hector Bellerin, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka into the first-team, although he will need to prove he has the mentality and ability to battle his way up the hierarchy.
Will we see an increase in signings to the academy in the coming windows due to the financial implications that the Coronavirus has had on the big clubs?
Patrick
Yes PATRICK, we and most other clubs will!
We are on the right road – even though only because of this horrible Covid and not because of moral reasons – to a major lessening of obscene money in the game and thus far less to players(and agents!) in the near future.
This will be a massive positive step towards removing the gross obscenity of ridiculous wages, all round, in Prem football.
I pray for a very much reduced Sky and BT offer for the next rights of tv fixtures, after the present contract expires. It will happen too, as market forces will decide it.
Covid, though ghastly, will have a pronounced silver lining in lessening the greed and money available to players who choose not to live in the real financial world.
I long for the days when all players earn at least 90% less than now, though THAT is some way off yet. It is obscene to pay mere footballers, whoever they be, hundreds of thousand of pounds each week.
And even more obscene when a small number of such players do not even give their all out effort in return.
Interesting thoughts Jon and one that most fans would go along with – the obscenity of it all.
I guess you would also go along with the condemnation of football managers, referees, media pundits, actors/actresses, bankers, politicians, bowls players, opera singers and professional speakers…would you suggest a 90% salary decrease for these groups as well?
After all, they are only mere people as well, being grossly overpaid, while the average man/woman are being left behind.
Is Burchall better than the young players Arsenal already has in the Academy?