While finishing second in the Premier League and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League would constitute an unreal campaign for most clubs, it wasn’t for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side came into this season hopeful of finally getting over the line in a major competition, only to fall short yet again.
With that said, this year wasn’t a total write-off, as there have been some massive positives, notably the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The latter, in particular, now looks destined for stardom since cementing a starting spot in North London and earning three caps for the senior national side.
Yet, in an exciting development, recent reports are now linking Arsenal with another youngster who could be an even bigger talent.
Arsenal looking to sign new defender
While Arsenal have been linked to a host of established superstars who could come in and make an immediate impact on the first team this summer, several tremendously exciting prospects have also been touted for moves to the club in recent weeks, like Kenan Yildiz and Konstantinos Karetsas.
Transfer Focus
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The former could reportedly be available for an astounding £86m, and while that is a mind-blowing sum of money for a 20-year-old, he was able to score seven goals and provide five assists in just 35 Serie A appearances this year.
Karetsas, on the other hand, could cost a slightly more palatable £38m, although with him still being just 17 years old and only managing seven goal involvements in 39 games this year, that could still be too much.
Moreover, it would be hard to compare either youngster to Lewis-Skelly, unlike Jorrel Hato.
According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal and Chelsea are incredibly interested in the Ajax gem.
In fact, the Italian claims that within the last week, the Gunners have been ‘calling’ the Dutch giants to learn more about the young defender.
Romano does not mention how much a potential deal might cost, but according to other reports from earlier this week, the Amsterdam outfit could ask for up to £42m.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Hato’s immense ability and potential, it’s one Arsenal should fight for, especially as he might be a bigger talent than Lewis-Skelly.
How Hato compares to Lewis-Skelly
Okay, so the first thing to say is that nobody is disputing the fact that Lewis-Skelly is a simply phenomenal talent, who at this point looks destined to be a part of Arsenal’s first team for years to come and likely a regular starter for Arsenal as well.
However, at this point in time, it’s also not controversial, at least it shouldn’t be, to suggest that Hato is a bigger talent, and there are a few reasons why.
Firstly, while this season was the young Englishman’s breakthrough campaign, and he only became a regular fixture in the first team in the latter half of it, the Ajax star, who has “superstar potential,” according to U23 scout Antonio Mango, has been playing senior football for some time now.
He made his first team debut for the Amsterdam outfit back in February 2023, when he was still just 16 years old, and since then, he’s played 111 matches for the first team, in which he’s scored four goals and provided nine assists – he also made his senior national team debut at 17 years old, in November the same year.
Moreover, in another example of just how absurdly developed and highly-rated the Rotterdam-born talent is, he has started 102 of those 111 club games and even worn the captain’s armband multiple times.
Finally, on top of the experience and responsibility that the “exceptional” talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has over the Gunners’ gem, he also comes out on top when we compare the two teenagers’ underlying numbers.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.16
0.04
Non-Penalty G+As
0.28
0.07
Progressive Passes
4.17
4.67
Progressive Carries
1.42
2.43
Key Passes
0.63
0.53
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.80
0.66
Live Passes
52.4
43.4
Shot-Creating Actions
1.43
1.91
Goal-Creating Actions
0.45
0.00
Tackles
2.01
1.45
Blocks
1.22
0.26
Interceptions
0.76
0.46
Clearances
2.29
1.78
Ball Recoveries
4.51
3.49
Aerial Duels Won
1.77
0.72
For example, the 19-year-old does far better in metrics like actual and expected non-penalty goals, key passes and passes into the penalty area, goal-creating actions, tackles, blocks, interceptions, clearances, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, Lewis-Skelly is a superstar in the making, and of that, there is no doubt, but as things stand, Hato looks to be even better.
Therefore, Arsenal should do all they can to sign the Dutch gem this summer, as he could be a world-class player a few years down the line.
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