Arsenal join Liverpool in 3-horse race to sign 19-year-old South America wonderkid: Reports (Source: Both images from Getty)
Arsenal join Liverpool in 3-horse race to sign 19-year-old South America wonderkid: Reports (Source: Both images from Getty)
Arsenal have joined Liverpool in a three-horse race with Tottenham Hotspur to sign 19-year-old South American wonderkid Julio Soler. According to reports from TBR Football (via The Hard Tackle), the CA Lanus full-back's impressive performances have led to strong interest from clubs in England.
Two years ago, Soler broke through Lanus' academy and into their first-team, making his professional debut in April 2022. In that same year, he was called up to the Argentina U20 squad, and this year, he was called up to the U23 squad.
This season, Soler has participated in four different tournaments for CA Lanus in Argentina. He has played 43 games across all, racking up over 3,500 minutes and providing two assists to attract clubs and scouts from England.
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The report has revealed that Premier League outfit Bournemouth are looking to get a head-start on negotiations, having opened talks with Lanus to sign him. However, other high-profile clubs have also taken notice of the Lanus academy graduate, including Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool.
The Gunners are in the market for a young left-back to learn the role and potentially take over from players like Oleksandr Zinchenko. Spurs, on the other hand, could see left-back Ben Davies leave New White Hart Lane when his contract expires in six months. This will leave a hole in the first-team, and the north Londoners believe Soler can fit into it.
For Liverpool, the focus is on the long-term. They currently have two main left-backs in Andrew Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas. However, with the former now in his 30s and the latter now 28, it would be expedient to sign a young player in the position.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot explains why they are above Arsenal on the Premier League table
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has explained why the Reds sit above Arsenal on the Premier League table. The Merseyside giants are currently topping the rankings with 36 points from 15 games, while the north Londoners sit in third with 30 points in 16 games.
Slot believes that this is due to the Gunners' picking up red cards at the start of the season. He explained ahead of Liverpool's match against Tottenham (via Tribal Football):
"As I have said for the last three or four months, judge the table after 19 games because then everyone has played the same opponents. Probably we had a bit of luck, for example Arsenal had a lot of red cards in the beginning of the season that's why they dropped points."
The Reds are prepared to take on Spurs tomorrow (December 22) when they travel to New White Hart Lane in London. The Gunners, on the other hand, have their match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park today (December 21).