Arsenal are looking to build for the future with their latest transfer target.placeholder image
Arsenal are looking to build for the future with their latest transfer target. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Premier League leaders Arsenal may have identified their next superstar
Arsenal lead the Premier League by six points and look difficult to stop as we enter November, with the Gunners not conceding a single goal in October to open up an early lead at the top of the table.
Mikel Arteta has spent five years building his Emirates project, which began with young guns such as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli and has now reached a stage where the north London side have two quality players for every position.
This Gunners generation is still just getting started, but there is always room to build for the future as the club look to identify its next superstar in the making. They might already have just that in the shape of Hale End’s very own Max Dowman, but a rival to his crown has emerged in the shape of another 15-year-old starlet who is making waves over in France and has caught Arsenal’s attention in the process.
Arsenal and Barcelona ‘monitoring’ French wonderkid
According to reports by Sport in Spain, Arsenal and Barcelona are amongst the European giants who are ‘closely monitoring’ Montpellier wonderkid Laciné Megnan-Pavé, who at just 15 years-old has come to prominence after registering 15 goals and 12 assists in 24 games for the French club’s Under-17 side.
The report dubs Megnan-Pavé ‘the great jewel of French football’, a great accolade considering the two-time world champions have boasted two of the last four Ballon d’Or winners. The 2010-born striker is captain of France’s U16s and has moved up to Montpellier’s U19s this season, playing three years up, with his 6ft 1in physical frame noted as striking for someone of his age. He is said to be making a ‘huge impact’ in French football, with high hopes growing for his future.
The report continues that Montpellier are planning to offer Megnan-Pavé a three-year professional contract as soon as he turns 16, in addition to giving him the opportunity to train with Zoumana Camara's first team in Ligue 2. A first-team debut appears set to follow in the not-too-distant future, if his rapid development continues on its current trajectory.
‘My club’ - Wonderkid Megnan-Pavé speaks on future
Though he is already attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, Megnan-Pavé has expressed his loyalty to Montpellier and his desire to appear for his boyhood club’s first team in the future.
"Montpellier is my club,” said the teenager. “Since I was little, I have gone to the matches at Stade de la Mosson. I would love to play on that field and in the Champions League with them."
Even if he does stick around to make his first-team dream a reality - his Champions League aspirations seem a little more distant, with the club currently in the second tier - there is no doubt that the Gunners and an array of Europe’s most storied clubs will continue to circle for the wonderkid. If his early rise and impressive goalscoring record are to continue, we may hear a lot more of the name Laciné Megnan-Pavé in the future.
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