Arsenal are now scouting a starlet whose club believe he is a bigger talent than Endrick, with the Gunners keeping a close eye on his development.
Arsenal improving youth policy
Arsenal’s youth policy in recent seasons has been far from perfect, with several talents knocking on the first team door without getting a look in.
The likes of Amario Cozier-Duberry, Charlie Patino, Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Omari Hutchinson have all at various points looked set to break into Mikel Arteta’s Premier League plans but have hardly featured, with none now remaining at the club.
Arsenal academy graduates’ Premier League debuts
Player
Debut
Age at debut
Myles Lewis-Skelly
September 22nd 2024
17 years 11 months 27 days
Ethan Nwaneri
September 18th 2022
15 years 05 months 28 days
Folarin Balogun
August 13th 2021
20 years 01 month 10 days
Emile Smith Rowe
December 15th 2019
19 years 04 months 17 days
Bukayo Saka
January 1st 2019
17 years 03 months 27 days
Joe Willock
April 15th 2018
18 years 07 months 26 days
In their thrashing of Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, though, it was clear that a change of policy had been implemented.
Jack Porter (16), Josh Nichols (18), Lewis-Skelly (17), Ethan Nwaneri (17), Maldini Cacri (18) and Ismael Kabia (18) all featured for the Gunners, while Alexei Rojas (18) and Aiden Heaven (17) were unused substitutes.
In the time since, Lewis-Skelly has gone on to make his debut in both the Premier League and Champions League, with Mikel Arteta revealing that both he and Nwaneri are now fully-fledged members of the Gunners first team.
“They are there,” the Spaniard said. “They are in contention [to play]. They always give us the option and the possibility to start the game.
“Myles came on the other night and he did really well. Ethan the same. They are first-team players. They are with us and we treat them and value the same way as any other player.”
And Arsenal want to continue their conveyer belt of youth talent, with a move to sign another young highly rated talent now being mooted.
Arsenal scouting player believed to be better than Endrick
Now, reports from Spain claim that the Gunners are keeping a close eye on Palmeiras rising star Luighi Hanri Sousa Santos as they ponder a potential move.
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The Brazilian side have enjoyed a strong supply of talent in recent years, with Estevao Willian, Luis Guilherme and Endrick all having been sold for fees in excess of £25m across the last 12 months.
Now, Marca [Via Sport Witness] claim that Luighi Santos is the next cab off the rank, with the 18-year-old having netted 10 times at U20 level but yet to get off the mark at senior level. Indeed, the report adds that some club officials believe that he is even better than Endrick.
It is claimed that Arsenal “‘tried to close him down in recent months”, with Brazilian Edu Gaspar leading the charge for his signature, but that Luighi has penned a new deal with the Brazilian side which includes a release clause worth €80m (£66.5m), a fee that it seems Arsenal are unlikely to shell out any time soon.
However, he is being advised by Arsenal invincible Gilberto Silva, which may see the Gunners handed an advantage should he become available for a reasonable fee any time in the future.