Arsenal has a great history of bringing exciting young players up through the ranks and into the first team.
Whether it’s with budding stars from their school like Ethan Nwaneri, Emile Smith Rowe, or Bukayo Saka, or with talented kids they find at other clubs like Cesc Fàbregas or Gabriel Martinelli.
A core principle of how the North Londoners work has always been to develop the next crop of superstars instead of just buying them.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the club is linked to a very exciting teenager in Brazil. This kid has some things in common with Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.
Arsenal news about transfers
A new story from Caught Offside says that Arsenal is one of several teams interested in William Gomes, an exciting young player from São Paulo.
According to the story, both Arsenal and Chelsea have already sent scouts to watch the 18-year-old play and have given “positive feedback on what they’ve seen so far.”
A possible price isn’t mentioned in the story, but late last month, Caught Offside said the young player’s current contract had a release clause worth a huge €120m (£96m) for clubs outside of Brazil. It seems very unlikely that any team would offer even close to that much.
Overall, it might be hard to sign Gomes in 2025, but his sky-high potential makes it worth a shot, especially since he is a lot like the exceptional Yamal.
Antonio Mango, a U23 scout, called the young Brazilian a “dribbling monster” and said it was “frightening what he’s capable of.” The young Brazilian is just as good with the ball as the Barcelona star.
Several talent scouts have praised the young player’s incredible close control. Jacek Kulig, one of them, also calls his “dribbling” and “ball control” two of his best qualities.
Let’s say, though, you need hard facts to show how the two teens are alike.
The Aracaju-born prospect is in the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the next 14 events for progressive carries and the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90, according to FBref.
