Liverpool have made a happy habit of snapping up some of the brightest young talents in British football over the past few years, but Arsenal could now be about to pull the same trick on the Reds.
Harvey Elliott, Ben Gannon-Doak, Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha are just some of the exciting youngsters to have been brought to Anfield from fellow UK clubs over the past few years, with Merseyside chiefs having a keen eye for such gems.
However, a report from The Athletic on Thursday that the tables are now set to be turned on LFC by one of their biggest domestic rivals.
Arsenal reach agreement with Vincent Joseph
Arsenal have reached an agreement with Liverpool academy striker Vincent Joseph over a move to north London, with the two clubs currently discussing the settlement of a fee for the 16-year-old.
If they’re unable to reach a compromise on that front, a tribunal would then decide the fee owed to the Reds, with such a measure necessitated when a player under the age of 24 switches clubs before signing their first professional contract or at the expiry of their professional terms.
The teenage forward didn’t sign scholarship terms with LFC this summer after the expiry of his schoolboy registration contract.
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Liverpool’s loss is Arsenal’s gain
Liverpool fans and academy chiefs will no doubt be bitterly disappointed to see Arsenal agreeing terms with Joseph, whose scoring record at underage level hints at a very high ceiling.
He scored three times across his two appearances in the Under-18 Premier League last season and has struck an impressive tally of eight goals in nine caps for England under-16s, including a hat-trick against their Netherlands counterparts last December (Transfemarkt).
While the Reds have moved proactively to offer professional contracts to other academy prospects such as Lucas Clarke, they’ve had no such luck with the 16-year-old striker, who now seems poised to sign for the Gunners.
Just as Liverpool moved swiftly to snap up Ngumoha from Chelsea’s academy shortly after his 16th birthday, with the eventual transfer fee decided via tribunal, Arsenal are about to do the same to them with Joseph.
It’s a shame to see such a precocious youngster leave Merseyside for a fiercer domestic rival, but we wish him the best as he continues to work towards a career in professional football.