Kenan Yildiz is a highly-rated Juventus wonderkid that's attracting interest from Arsenal.placeholder image
Kenan Yildiz is a highly-rated Juventus wonderkid that's attracting interest from Arsenal. | Getty Images/ Canva
Arsenal are believed to be considering a blockbuster swoop for one of the most highly coveted youngsters in world football
Arsenal may not be the Premier League champions but they are viewed by many experts as the team with the most well-rounded squad in the entire division.
Mikel Arteta’s side have depth in between the posts, in defence and midfield, while they have also now put their faith in a proven No.9 in Victor Gyokeres, who they hope will deliver the goods after his prolific stint in Portugal.
It means Arsenal probably have less work to do on the transfer front than many of their rivals such as Liverpool, who want a centre-back or Manchester City, who are still yet to fully click back into the imperious force that dominated English football in every season for almost half a decade.
However, that doesn’t mean that Arsenal, who haven’t won a league title in over 20 years, won’t act if they see an opportunity to attract someone exceptional - and based on recent reports they’ve picked out someone who is exactly that in the form of Kenan Yildiz.
Who is Kenan Yildiz?
Kenan Yildiz is a highly-rated Juventus wonderkid that’s already made over 20 appearances for Turkey at international level. The 20-year-old grew up in Regensburg, Germany. He joined Bayern Munich when he was just seven years old, captained them at youth level before deciding to join Juventus in 2022 after having offers from several big clubs including Barcelona.
Yildiz registered 19 goal contributions in 31 matches for Juventus’s reserve team before progressing into the first team at the age of 18. He quickly became a hit with Juventus supporters, and after showing promise in the 2023/24 season, hit the headlines by scoring the first goal in the new league phase format of the Champions League by firing in a tremendous curling strike against PSV.
The Turkish wonderkid registered 12 goals and nine assists from 52 appearances last season, helping his team to a fourth place finish and the semi-final of the Coppa Italia. His performances have earmarked him as a player with the potential to reach the very top with Chelsea reportedly having a £58m offer turned down over the summer, as per CalcioMercato.
However, since the window closed, the majority of the headlines have linked Arsenal with the player instead, with TuttoJuve claiming the Gunners have sent scouts to watch the footballer on several instances this season.
Why Arsenal must sign Kenan Yildiz in January
Kenan Yildiz is a fleet-footed, fearless and forward thinking attacker that can play in a variety of offensive roles. He’s played the bulk of his career as a left-winger but like Eberechi Eze has the ability to drift into a central role and drop deeper to create chances for his teammates. He’s seen as one of the most skilful dribblers around after completing 113 take-ons while making 130 shot-creating actions during the 2024-25 season.
Yildiz is not quite the finished article but has stood out as a class above in a Juventus team that is of a high standard but perhaps not quite at the heights that they have been in years gone by.
Ultimately, it’s not a position Arsenal necessarily need with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard both competing for a place on the left-wing and Eze and Martin Odegaard competing for a No.10 role. However, he does have the potential to be a generational talent and could be someone Arsenal look to target now before his price tag completely explodes in another season’s time. He could also be a major upgrade on Martinelli and Trossard, whose quality has come into question at times.
If Arsenal want to be champions, they need to be ruthless in the transfer market, and upgrading to a player of Yildiz’s potential is the exact thing that can finally end their long wait to win another Premier League title.
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