Arsenal have walked away from a potential deal to sign 16-year-old Jeremy Monga with Manchester City set to sign the winger
Arsenal have pulled out of the race to sign Jeremy Monga, with Manchester City now the leading candidate for the 16-year-old’s signature. The Gunners were in talks with Leicester City and as football.london reported, the asking price was aimed between £10million to £15million.
The Gunners saw an early offer around £5million knocked back, but talks remained ongoing to find a resolution. Due to the player’s age, leaving to join Arsenal this summer without an agreement with Leicester would have meant the price would go to a tribunal; there was always optimism that this wouldn’t be needed.
However, Manchester City emerged with Enzo Maresca, Monga’s former Leicester City coach, now at the helm, and a willingness to reach a figure that Arsenal were not. As such, Arsenal have withdrawn from the negotiation table.
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Arsenal also had a keen interest in Vitor Reis and Sverre Nypan, both of whom eventually joined Manchester City. The latter is yet to make a senior appearance for City, while after Reis made a handful of appearances, he spent last season on loan with City Football Group’s Girona.
Missing out on a third young player to City, should Monga complete the move, has sparked a reaction from the fan base. The combination of their North London rivals Tottenham having already spent £237million on six players, City inflating the market with a £116million move for Elliot Anderson, and now missing out on Monga after the move looking a real possibility, has culminated in the early window frustrations.
Accusations of “penny pinching” have circulated. Fees for players at a much younger age may be decided by single-digit millions; however, there are broader contexts to overpaying for players at any level.
If Arsenal feels that the asking price is far above their valuation and doesn’t fit into their spending strategy, the likelihood is they will not pay it unless they are absolutely besotted with a player. Declan Rice, for example, was not expected to cost £105million when Arsenal began negotiations with West Ham United, but the emergence again of City in talks forced their hand for a player they were desperate to sign.
If there is such a player in this market, Arsenal’s track history would suggest they will indeed go all out to get them. Whether that player exists this window is, of course, another thing.
Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola and Bruno Guimaraes have been the three high-profile names discussed so far. With all three at the World Cup, assumptions about movements for any of them are subdued for now, but expectations remain high.
