Arsenal are no strangers to snapping up young Southampton talent. As a club, the Gunners are adept at targeting certain Academies, like Barcelona’s and the Saints, cherry-picking the best players and then tempting them to join their ranks.
It’s perhaps not the most morally sound way of going about business, but it can be effective. When players like Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott (both former Southampton stars) hit their stride, their likely to be real assets for the North London club (though, it should be noted that Theo may move on to a different club this year).
There’s a reason why I’m writing about this that goes beyond the fact that Arsenal played the Saints on New Years Day (a 1-1 draw where the Gunners looked like they were returning back to their ineffectual worst).
It’s because Arsenal have been linked yet again to Southampton youngster, Luke Shaw. (Source: Daily Mail). The 17-year-old left back, is a major talent who has stepped up admirably to the Premier League. But is he the right player for a club like Arsenal?
There’s no doubting the youngster’s potential. After all, he’s from the same youth system as Gareth Bale, has an incredible turn of pace, holds the line neatly, makes smart runs and has a good footballing brain. He’s also a fairly decent crosser, something that he’ll get even better at over time. There’s just no saying where he’ll be in 3-4 years’ time when it comes to his ability.
One thing’s for sure: Southampton will want to keep him. Speaking about the link to Arsenal, Saints manager Nigel Adkins told the Press: “I think Luke gets linked every week with Arsenal, doesn’t he? Luke is under contract, he is playing football for us in the Premier League, which is important. We are not looking to let him go anywhere if anyone wants to come in for any of our players, by all means speak to the chairman. He does the deals and all the best with that.”
He’s part of Southampton’s long-term plans and won’t come cheap. As such, I don’t see him as a good investment for Arsenal. They have a left-back with plenty of potential in Kieran Gibbs and they don’t really need another player who could do the job in a few seasons time.
They need to spend big on players who can improve the club now. As good as Luke Shaw is, I just don’t think he’s there yet.
So let’s hope that these stories are just stories.
What’s your take? Would Luke Shaw be a good addition for Arsenal?
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Not again….. We did not need a promising players. We fans need trophies and we don’t want to wait another 6 years or more. We want stars who want really win in every games like Zlatan or someone who have that mentality and ability. Team need a real star to looking up to.