Arsenal have an excellent opportunity to beat Tottenham to the signing of Lesley Ugochukwu. There is a huge incentive to sign as the club reportedly see him as being the 'next Patrick Vieira' and could complete a deal in a similar fashion to how they signed Matteo Guendouzi.
According to French news outlet L’Equipe, the two North London Premier League clubs are both keen on the 18-year-old midfielder. The report goes on to claim that the Gunners appreciate the profile of the youngster, and will attempt to sign him in the summer.
The Gunners signed Matteo Guendouzi from Lorient in 2018 before he reached the age of 20. It seems Edu could be repeating a similar transfer by signing another young French midfielder in Ugochukwu.
Ever since Vieira left the Gunners in 2005 to join Juventus the fans have been calling out for a direct replacement for the Frenchman, which has never managed to materialise. However, it seems that they may have hit the jackpot if they secure the signature of Ugochukwu.
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Ugochukwu has already made 20 competitive first-team appearances for his club side. He made his debut in Ligue 1 last season, a substitute appearance in the 5-1 win over Dijon last April.
His impressive performances at club level has also given him recognition to the French youth teams having made five appearances for the same national team as Vieira at Under-18 level, where he has also scored one goal.
Arsenal are set to be short in the midfield position in the summer. football.london understands that Roma are expected to make a fresh attempt to sign Granit Xhaka at the end of the season.
This will mean that Thomas Partey would be the only experienced midfielder in the team. Mohamed Elneny’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and Albert Sambi Lokonga still needs time to mature.
This means that there is space for Ugochukwu to break into the first team, which should give him the incentive to choose Arsenal ahead of Spurs. The comparisons to Vieira should provide a reason for Ugochukwu to replicate the legendary midfielder’s success in a red and white shirt.
Despite the disappointing end to Guendouzi's Arsenal career, he was still an excellent signing by the club. It seems Edu could be looking to repeat a similar transfer to sign Ugochukwu.
