Arsenal are notorious for being a club that prides itself on scouting the best young talent in football and giving a chance to youngsters to perform in the first team. Sadly once they have become top class stars, we often find it tough to keep hold of them.
The transfer window is still quite some time away, however of course the rumours continue to run all year long. Today’s rumour is on a rather unknown teenager, Berkay Ozcan; and it just made me think, do we really need another young star amongst our ranks?
Don’t get me wrong, Ozcan seems to be a pretty decent talent according to the media in Germany and the fans praise him highly for his performances at Stuttgart. With 3 goals and 3 assists in 18 appearances for the German side this season, the 19 year old is apparently proving to be one of the brightest talents in European football right now. He is highly regarded by both club and country.
It’s Ozcan’s agent, Baris Yukselsen, who has revealed Arsenal’s interest in the player, by stating: “Many top clubs are interested in Berkay. Arsenal has Berkay on its list, but at the moment he is focusing on Stuttgart’s resurgence.”
Personally I reckon perhaps Arsenal have sent a few scouts over to Germany to watch the player, but I don’t think talks would’ve taken place considering he is a full first team player, rather than a member of their youth side. I think his agent is just trying to stir up a bit of media interest, but I still can’t help but think do Arsenal really need yet another young midfielder.
It is proven time and time again at Arsenal, including this season, that we will struggle to win the major honours unless there is dramatic changes in management at the club and the introduction of some truly world class players. It’s going to be difficult, but spending a likely £15-20 million on Ozcan doesn’t seem to be the best investment when that money could go towards another deal elsewhere.
By AH